What I'm Reading - High School

Rotters, by Daniel Kraus

2012-02-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

16-year-old Joey Crouch loses everything - his mother, his friends, his home, even his musical talent. He becomes an outcast, and in desperation turns to the only person left - his frightening father. His father draws Joey into a nightmare world of madness and mayhem. Joey's father is a digger - a grave robber. The story is dark, the subject matter is dark and disturbing, the action is revolting. But there is truth here about growing up and claiming your own life out of misery.

Anna and the French kiss, by Stephanie Perkins

2012-02-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

Anna's life is going well - she has good friends, a great job at the local cinema, and a new relationship with an interesting guy that is close to turning serious. Then her parents drop a bombshell - they are enrolling her in the School of America in Paris for her senior year. So Anna's not thrilled to find herself in France (she doesn't speak French), in a new school, and far away from where she wants to be. Until she meets Ettienne St. Claire - handsome, funny, smart St. Claire. St. Claire is very much taken - involved in a serious relationship with Elle, a girl at another school, but he's also irresistable and seems to feel the same toward Anna. So Anna & St Claire become just friends, good friends, best friends, confused friends, angry friends.............

The space between, by Brenna Yovanoff

2012-01-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

Daphne has grown up in Hell - literally Hell - a city where heat burns away everything not made of chrome and steel. The daughter of a demon and a fallen angel, Daphne wonders what her future will be. Her sisters are soulless demons. Her brother Obie is a missionary of sorts on Earth, saving lost souls. Then Obie drops in with a boy from Earth who is on the brink of death, and the boy,Truman, forges a bond with Daphne. When he returns to Earth, Daphne follows and finds herself an innocent demon in a strange and complicated (and cold) world. Obie is missing, and as she and Truman search for him, she learns what it means to love and be human.

Another strange, quirky, and wonderful story from an always surprising author. The replacement may still be my favorite, but this one is well worth reading as well.

The compound, by S.A. Bodeen

2012-01-30T07:07:00.000-08:00

Eli and his family have lived in the compound for 6 years, survivors of a nuclear blast that destroyed the United States they knew. But even the best plans have flaws, and food is running scarce. Then Eli gets a signal from the internet. The internet! What is really going on above ground?

This is a fast paced thriller as Eli discovers that all he knows to be true is questionable - and a wrong decision could be fatal for himself and his family.

Postcards from no man's land, by Aiden Chambers

2012-01-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

A Printz Award winner in 2003, this is really two intertwined stories. The story that takes place in modern times traces 19-year old American Jacob Todd through a visit to Amsterdam that changes everything he ever thought about his family and himself. The second story is about the Allied liberation of Holland from German occupation during WWII, and the relationships forged in wartime that have consequences to this day.

No man's land. Politically, geographically, sexually, this is Jacob's journey of discovery, and his understanding of family and of self will never be the same.

Flip, by Martyn Bedford

2012-01-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

Alex wakes up one morning in a strange house, in as different part of the country, and feels strange and awkward. Then the full extent of the nightmare he's woken up to begins to dawn on him as he realizes that he is in a different body - the body of a boy named Flip - Phillip. The family at the breakfast table are total strangers - as is the face in the mirror.

Trapped in a body and a life not his own, Alex struggles to find out what has happened and how he can escape. But losing his entire identity, his family, his life, proves too much to cope with and Alex is falling apart.

This one keeps you guessing as the suspense builds. Hard to put down.

Blade : Playing dead, by Tim Bowler

2012-01-25T07:06:00.000-08:00

Blade is a tough, street smart, homeless teen, living by his wits in a dangerous world of crime, gangs, and violence. His skill with a switchblade has earned him his name, and kept him alive. Now he's on the run again, this time with a girl and her baby. He needs to get them safe and get back on his own before his past catches up with him.

A tough, violent adventure that is hard to put down, and begs for more books to be written in the series.

Why we broke up, by Daniel Handler

2012-01-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

From October 5 to November 12, Min and Ed fall in love. Fall hard, fall in spite of everyone telling them that they don't have anything in common, fall passionately, madly in love. And when it ends, it hurts both of them. Min returns a box of memories - two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a love note, a toy truck - each a painful reminder of love and loss, explaining each one by one.

Tender, painful, funny, moving. If you've ever been in love and had your heart broken, you will recognize the story.

Dust & decay, by Jonathan Maberry

2012-01-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

This is the 2nd book in the series, and is every bit as good as the 1st book Rot & ruin. In this one, Benny Imura, his girlfriend Nix, Lilah the Lost Girl, and Benny's best friend Chong, all led by Benny's older brother Tom, venture out of the safety of their fenced California hometown into the rot & ruin of zombie infested lands in search of other pockets of civilization. They don't get far. Instead, they are trapped into Gameland, where people are pitted against zombies while gamers bet on who comes out the winner.

Lots of action, lots of adventure, and something to say about what it is to be couragous.I hope the next book in this series isn't too far off.

Runner, by Carl Deuker

2012-01-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

Chance Taylor should be on the track team, should be enjoying school. But living with his alcoholic father who can't keep a job, Chance is living just one step from homelessness and is scrambling to make some money to buy groceries and pay the rent. When he is offered money for an easy job, he knows it is somehow illegal, but he's desperate for the money, and it's easy to not think about the illegal stuff. At first.

Carl Deuker has written some great sports books that always involve ethical problems. In this one, the ethical issues take front stage while the athletics play a smaller role. A good book from a consistently good author.

Bliss, by Lauren Myracle

2012-01-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

Bliss is a naive girl, raised on a commune, and is not prepared to deal with the mean girls she finds at the new school she attends now that she is living with her grandmother. But it gets worse. Bliss hears voices, and seems to be in touch with the ghost of a girl murdered long ago on the school grounds.

This one was recommended to me as a great spooky read, but it's too creepy for me. So there you are - if you like scary stuff this might be just your story!

2011-12-11T08:50:00.001-08:00

Adam Baye lost his best friend to suicide, and his parents are frightened as he drops off the hockey team and withdraws from his family, school, and friends, spending hours in his room on his computer. So they make a fateful decision to install spyware on his computer to secretly monitor every website, every e-mail and message Adam sends or receives. And what they learn is that Adam is in deep trouble - and from there the web of lies, deceit, violence and danger grows till it threatens every member of Adam's family. Nothing is as it first appears, and this one will keep the reader guessing trying to figure out the twists and turns of the action packed plot.

Reality check, by Peter Abrahams

2011-11-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

Cody, a small town quarterback has big dreams for a football scholarship. When his smart, hot girlfriend is sent away to boarding school by her father and he suffers a torn ACL, Cody’s life begins to spiral out of control. He drops out of high school and gets a job at the local lumber yard. But when his ex-girlfriend Clea disappears in Vermont, Cody travels from Colorado to join the search for her. Out of place in the wealthy privileged private school there, Cody doesn't know who he can trust and nothing is as it first seems.
This is full of fast action and mystery - hard to put down.

Daughter of smoke & bone, by Laini Taylor

2011-11-26T12:30:00.001-08:00

"Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well."

The 1st words in this romantic fantasy warn the reader.

Blue haired Karou , 17 year old art student in Prague, has mastered the art of disguising her magical upbringing from her friends and others. Avoid talking about herself, and when forced, tell the truth with a faint sardonic smile. No one believes that her hair just grows that color; or that the monsters she draws in her sketchbooks are real; or that she travels the world via magic to collect teeth for the chimaera Brimstone who raised her from a baby.
But Karou has questions, because hideously ugly Brimstone has always refused to explain how he came to raise her, or where the door behind his desk leads, or why he needs the unending supply of teeth it is her job to acquire for him. And why although he is obviously a powerful magician, he refuses Karou any wishes but the smallest, most inconsequential ones. Then the angel Akiva attacks Karou from out of nowhere, nearly killing her before the attack stops as suddenly and mysteriously as it began. Akiva knows more about Karou than she does herself, but both have shocking things to learn in store for them.

This is a mystery, a fantasy, but most of all a love story. Well written and hard to put down once begun. The first of a planned trilogy, and among Amazon's top 10 books for 2011.

Magic and misery, by Peter Marino

2011-11-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

TJ has never had a boyfriend and falls hard for the new boy in school, Pan, who is funny, classy, beautiful - and gay, as TJ learns when he outs himself in the course of a class discussion one day. The two become close friends. But when TJ starts dating Caspar, things get complicated. Pan is jealous of her time with Caspar, and Caspar is confused about TJ and Pan's friendship.

While I liked the story, there are things I really didn't like. The concept of a "new" emotion - fago - just seems to me to be something a little silly. Do we really need a new emotion? Then there is the matter of sex. For a book about relationships, it is treated way too casually. Readers would be better off reading Sarah Dessen and Alex Sanchez.

13 reasons why, by Jay Asher

2011-11-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

On tape, Hannah explains that there are 13 reasons why she decided to commit suicide. Clay is one of them. If he listens to the tapes, he'll find out why. So over the course of one long, terrible night, Clay listens to all 13 taped stories.

This is a heartbreaking book to read as it follows Hannah's descent into despair. If you ever doubted that your simple small acts of kindness can make a difference, this book is an emotional arguement that they matter. A powerful story well told.

Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher

2011-11-07T07:44:00.001-08:00

Eric Calhoun (Mobe) survived his early teen years as a fat boy with the help of another social outcast, Sarah Byrnes, whose face and hands are terribly scarred from burns suffered as a small child. Sarah is the bravest, toughest person he's ever known. Now in high school, joining the swim team has changed Mobe's body, but not his fierce loyalty to Sarah. But now Sarah sits unresponsive in a mental ward, and Mobe, at a loss as to how to help her, enlists the help of an old school enemy, his best friend, and even his swim coach. And he discovers that Sarah is still that brave, tough friend, caught in the crosshairs of her abusive dad. Love, loyalty, and courage come in the least expected people as Sarah and Mobe figure out how to keep her safe.

Wow - this author isn't afraid to face tough topics - abuse, abortion, religion, disfigurement, bullying - and he does it without losing perspective and a sense of humor.

Chain Reaction, by Simone Elkeles

2011-10-24T13:16:00.001-07:00

This is the 3rd book Elkeles has written about the Fuentes brothers. The oldest brother Alex's story is Perfect chemistry, which was followed by Rules of attraction about Carlos, the middle brother. And this is the story of Luis, the youngest brother. All good romances, and if you like one you will probably like them all. But I'm kind of glad there aren't any more Fuentes brothers, because all three books are pretty much alike and I would like to read something different by Elkeles.

Putting makeup on the fat boy, by Bil Wright

2011-10-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Carlos Duarte has a dream of making the big time as a makeup artist, and when he gets hired at one of the Macy's makeup counters, he has a chance to take some real steps toward the dream. But life is never simple, and just as Carlos gets his big break, he has to deal with the jealous diva boss who could undermine his dream plans; his sister's abusive boyfriend; and a fantasy (or is it?) crush on his punk-rocker classmate.

Dash & Lily's book of dares, by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

2011-10-20T09:40:00.001-07:00

Christmastime in New York for two teens is livened up when Lily leaves a red notebook full of challenges on a shelf in her favorite bookstore and Dash (short for Dashiel) finds it and takes up the challenge. Both start to think a real life romance may be possible..........

This is good fun - I still like this pair of authors' other romance better tho. Nick and Nora's infinite playlist is worth reading and WAY better than the movie version!

Rot & ruin, by Jonathan Maberry

2011-10-11T08:28:00.001-07:00

In a future post-zombie apocalypse United States, Ben Imura has lived his entire 15 years in the isolated community of Mountainside, where at 15 everyone must begin working or face their food ration cut in half. After losing half a dozen jobs, Benny reluctantly agrees to join the "family business" of his older 1/2 brother Tom who is a zombie killer. When the brothers venture out into the Rot & Ruin outside Mountainside, Benny discovers how wrong he has been about many things - from the "coolness" of more flamboyant bounty hunters to the inhuman nature of "zoms", and especially the real nature of the family business. Then Benny's potential girlfriend is kidnapped by Charlie Mathias - a cruel bounty hunter, and the Imura brothers have to work together to try and rescue her before it is too late.

There is lots of adventure, violence, and action balanced with thought provoking questions about bravery and honor and about survivors and victims. And who would have guessed that I would love a zombie book, anyway?

The Marbury lens, by Andrew Smith

2011-10-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Leaving a party at his best friend Connor's, Jack is kidnapped, drugged, tortured and nearly raped. He narrowly escapes his tormentor and returns to Connor's house where he confides all that happened. The boys decide to keep it a secret, but they have fallen into the dark, and will need each other's help to survive.

A mysterious man gives Jack a pair of glasses, through which Jack finds himself in a different, surreal world - one of violence and destruction. Worst of all, a world where Connor is trying to kill him and the 2 younger boys entrusted to Jack's care.

This is a dark and disturbing nightmare of a story that packs an enormous emotional punch. Scary, creepy, and hard to forget.

Nickel Plated, by Aric Davis

2011-10-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

From Goodreads:
"Nickel is a twelve year old runaway who's gone to ground. He disappeared from the foster care system two years earlier, after years of abuse, and now he's on his own. Now, if there's a job to be done, whether it's spreading counterfeit money around or tracking down your son, he's your guy. Carefully camouflaged as a typical kid, he's rarely noticed and often underestimated. A survivor, he's observant, paranoid, well-armed, and prone to lucky hunches. He's also a risk-taker, with no compunction about blowing up a telephone pole with a pipe bomb if he thinks it will get him the information he needs. Nickel also blackmails pedophiles to pay the bills. Since he has this money to support himself, he can take on the case when Arrow asks him to search for her missing sister. For Nickel, rescuing other kids from bad situations, and especially sexual predators, is personal."

The author goes into dark territory here. Nickel is a warrior, part of a loosely organized underground network at war against child predators and if the reader needs to suspend disbelief that anyone that young can act like Nickel, the payoff is a story that can't be put down and will haunt you long after it's been read.

Carter finally gets it, by Brent Crawford

2011-09-29T06:35:00.001-07:00

Will Carter - freshman, ADD, stutterer, and add immature, clueless, too eager, clumsy, and earnest. You have to love a guy like that. Carter bungles his way through his freshman year trying way too hard to be cool and together and even though he misses the mark by a mile, the trip is, well, a trip.

Boot Camp, by Todd Strasser

2011-09-16T07:35:00.001-07:00

Garrett is kidnapped in the middle of the night, handcuffed, and driven for 8 hours to a remote camp for troubled teens, Lake Harmony. His parents are paying $4000.00 per month for the chance that boot camp will turn Garrett into the son they want him to be. His crime? Garrett fell in love with the wrong girl. No anger issues, no school issues, no maturity issues. But in boot camp he is subjected to brutal physical and psychological abuse, and with his parents behind it, there is no way out until he is 18. Then he's asked to join an escape with two others. The risk is enormous, but staying is dangerous too.

I'd like to think camps like Lake Harmony are fictional and the product of the author's imagination, but Todd Strasser has added a bibliography of the sources he used to research the subject, and that may be the most unsettling part of the book.

Pretty dead, by Francesca Lia Block

2011-08-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

Charlotte Emerson is a startlingly beautiful 17 year old, and has been so for nearly 100 years. She became a vampire way back then while in mourning over the death of her twin brother Charles, while searching for a way to dull the pain of that devastating loss. But a hundred years of immortality has brought it's own loneliness and loss, and when Charlotte loses her mortal friend Emily to suicide, she is again devastated. She turns to Emily's boyfriend Jared seeking comfort. At first he is bitter and angry with her, but she opens up to him telling about her past, and they begin to fall in love. Then William, the vampire who originally turned Charlotte turns up, and Charlotte is forced to face a horrific mistake from her past that may cost her the future.

This is an original take on vampire stories, and a better story than that cover art might lead you to believe.

The book thief, by Marcus Zusak

2011-08-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

The narrator of this story is Death, and if it seems strange and awkward at the opening of the book, just try to stay with it for a while till it starts to work. It's a Holocaust story, and Death plays a large role and his perspective is interesting as well. This is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl trapped in the ever tightening noose of Nazi control. As her world becomes more dangerous she finds solace in books and the only way to get them is to steal them. Her books and her courage are haunting.

Wolves of Mercy Falls series

2011-08-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

The 1st book of this trilogy is on this year's (2012) Abe list, and has been a favorite love story at CHS for a couple of years. Now the

whole trilogy is in print, and it was worth the wait. It's a solid story that keeps up the quality of the 1st book. The werewolves are very different from the Twilight variety, switching from human to wolf with no supernatural abilities. Sam and Grace's love story has the center stage as they struggle to stay together even as their wolf/human identities tear them apart. But new characters are introduced, and angry, disolute rock star/werewolf Cole is a great story line that starts in Linger and continues thru Forever.

Water for elephants, by Sara Gruen

2011-07-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

This won an Alex Award in 2006 as a book written for adults with special appeal to teens. I don't know that there needs to be to much of a line drawn between teen and adult books - every reader on either side of that line just needs to find their own loved books.

This tale set aboard a depression era circus train has lots going for it. It is first of all a romance, but the circus is full of memorable characters, not the least of which are Rosie the elephant, Bobo the chimp, horses, big cats. As the circus vet, Jacob Jankowski knows and loves them all. His love for Marlena, the beautiful (and married) equestrian star sets them all - humans and animals alike - on a dangerous path.

Deadline, by Chris Crutcher

2011-07-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

This book was one of the 2011 Abe books, but I delayed reading it because it concerns a dying teen - emotional stuff. But in the hands of a writer like Chris Crutcher, there are themes worth the inevitable tears here. The main character, Ben Wolf, learns he has terminal cancer during a routine sports physical at the opening of his senior year. Being 18, he refuses to let his doctor tell anyone else and refuses treatment. Instead, he sets about making his last year count for a whole lifetime. In the hands of a lesser writer this could be unbearable. But there is no sentimentality, no unnecessary pulling of heartstrings as smart-ass Ben meets his mortality on his own terms and touches the lives of everyone around him.

Before I fall, by Lauren Oliver

2011-06-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Samantha Kingston dies in a fiery car crash, but before she knows what is happening she is allowed to re-live her last day on earth several times before she learns how to make every minute count not only for herself but for others her life impacts. She tries desperately to change that fatal course of events, and with each try, the lives of others are changed for better or for worse, until she finally finds the way.

The forest of hands and teeth, by Carrie Ryan

2011-06-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Tho set in a future US, this world is unrecognizable as a virus plague has turned most people worldwide into zombies. Those humans remaining live in isolated pockets like Mary's village, where a chain-link fence protects the living from the living dead. the village is under constant seige from zombies, and when the fence is breached, Mary and Harry (her betrothed), Travis (her lover) and his betrothed, as well as her brother and his wife choose to escape into a fenced maze of paths, hoping to find a place they can survive.

The action is fast-paced and never predictable as the fugitives struggle against all odds to survive in a world where death is the only constant. This is the 1st of a trilogy, and CHS has them all.

Stay, by Deb Caletti

2011-06-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Clara's relationship with Christian became serious almost as soon as it began, and in spite of her father's and her best friend's reservations, Clara falls in love hard. But what starts out as a fairy tale romance soon shows a dark side as Christian's obsession and jealousy begin to show and Clara knows that Christian will stop at nothing to make her stay with him.

Now Clara and her Dad have rented a cabin on the beach, lied to everyone about their wherabouts, changed Clara's phone number, and are hoping that a summer away will convince Christian that their romance is truely over. But Clara knows Christian, and knows that she has reason to be afraid.

Ending relationships is seldom easy. Ending unhealthy ones can be dangerous. This story is well told, and one to think about.

How to say goodbye in robot, by Natalie Standiford

2011-06-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Bea is tired of moving every year to follow her Dad's career. Isolated from her career obsessed father and her depressed (unhinged?) mother, Bea is reluctant to even try making new friends at her new school. But the daily morning assembly finds her sitting next to Jonah, who is even more isolated than Bea. And the two soon find common interests that include late night talk radio, where Jonah (Ghost boy) and Bea (Robot girl) can communicate. Their relationship grows with shared secrets and stunts, and their friendship runs deep, though never quite into romance.

Senior year becomes an adventure Bea never expected, but life after high school looms as a big unknown.

Amy & Roger's epic detour, by Morgan Matson

2011-06-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

This may be the best road trip story ever. Amy has been living alone in California since her Dad's death and her Mom's new job forced Mom to relocate to Connecticut a month before school was out for the summer. One of Mom's friends has a son, Roger, who has agreed to drive Amy to Connecticut, since Amy can't bear to drive since the car accident that took her father's life. Roger has his own motives for agreeing to the trip - like catching up with the girl who just dumped him without any explanation. So the two who barely know each other set out across country on an adventure that quickly hits detours as the planned cross-country itinerary gets tossed out the window and two good people start getting back on their feet with each other's help.

Summer romance, yes, but also friendship and healing, humor, and a good time.

Gemini bites, by Patrick Ryan

2011-05-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

Kyle and Judy Renneker are twins with an uneasy relationship. They have been bickering and competing with one another for years, and their 16th year brings new complications as Kyle comes out of the closet and Judy pretends to be a born again Christian to land a new boyfriend who leads his own bible study.

The twins already thorny relationship is further complicated by the arrival of Garret Johnson - a strange loner about whom there are all kinds of hushed rumors - including one that he is a vampire. Garret's family is moving again, and the Rennekers have offered to let Garret stay at their home to finish out the school year. The twins are both attracted and intruiged, and the competition goes into high gear.

This isn't going to satisfy anyone who loves the high drama supernatural stories. But the low key, realistic family drama here is a nice change of pace and the story is well told.

Played, by Dana Davidson

2011-05-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

Ian wants to get into an exclusive group at school. The initiation? Hook up with a "dog" and then drop her, with extra points if he gets her to fall in love with him. Kylie Winship is overwhelmed with Ian's attention, and falls hard. But things get complicated when Ian starts to think twice about his values, and Kylie has to think twice too about a guy who acts one way with his friends and another when they are alone.

This is written by a high school teacher from Detroit, and I like the way that neither Ian nor Kylie is all bad, or all blameless either. Both learn some hard lessons about love.

After, by Amy Efaw

2011-05-02T07:40:00.001-07:00

Whew, another tough read. But this one does what Nic Sheff's Tweak never did - gives insight into the human condition. The author explores how a wrong turn in life, in this case an unplanned pregnancy, can drive a teen into a nightmare of denial, isolation, criminal abandonment of the baby, juvenile detention, court proceedings, prison.

The book opens with Devon barely conscious right after giving birth to a baby alone in the bathroom of the apartment she shares with her single/always on the make mother. She is hemorrhaging, and the baby is in the trash can behind the apartment complex. The baby is found and saved, but the reader is left with a journey from horror at the act Devon has just committed to eventual understanding of the emotional nightmare that could drive her to that unspeakable act and through the legal consequences that will decide her future. This is a tough read, but at the end the reader may better understand the issues, develop empathy for a main character who is at first hard to like, and come to admire the people who help girls like Devon.

Tweak, by Nic Sheff

2011-05-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Nic Sheff's memoir of out-of-control addiction is sad and frustrating to read. He has no insights into addiction to share, just a litany of broken relationships, broken promises, broken lives. If he bothers to explain his bad choices at all, he rationalizes ineffectively. His parents' divorce? Come on, Nic, lots of people have divorced parents and are not meth/heroin/whatever they can get their hands on addicts as a result. Nic's life is a train wreck as he lies, steals, prostitutes himself for his next high.

Addiction is heartbreaking to those whose lives it touches. I wanted this to explore Nic's struggle with addiction, but instead he seems almost perversely proud of his failures. Sad.

Beastly, by Alex Flinn

2011-04-28T13:03:00.001-07:00

This adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale Beauty and the Beast is proof (once again)that fairy tales are not just for children. With due respect to Walt Disney, this story works much better as a young adult tale. The theme of a handsome but heartless male bewitched so that his exterior is as ugly as his personality is timeless. His inner transformation is a journey worth reading, and his final redemption through the love of a girl - satisfying. Alex Flinn throws enough twists into the classic tale to keep readers who know where the story is going entertained along the way. This is plain fun.

The cardturner, by Louis Sachar

2011-04-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

How are we supposed to be partners? He can't see the cards and I don't know the rules! But pushed by his money-hungry parents, Alton becomes his blind Uncle Lester's cardturner - helping Uncle Lester play tournament bridge. Alton narrates the evolution of his relationship with Trapp (the Uncle Lester stuff is the 1st thing to go) as he becomes intrigued with Trapp, with the game of bridge, and especially with Toni Castenada - the pretty and shy girl whose link to Trapp is somehow tied to Trapp's fabled romantic history. Alton soon learns that things aren't always what you have been told, and appearances don't tell the whole story either.

Alton's not into drama. His self-depreciating sense of humor and his wry observations carry him through a summer full of life changing events in (almost) perfect control. His mother's money-hungry advice rings in his head - Don't screw it up, Alton. But there is more than money at stake, and Alton has his own priorities straight.

Chew : Taster's Choice, by John Layman (Graphic Novel)

2011-04-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

Tony Chu is a cibopath, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. Eating an apple, for example, gives him an impression of the exact tree it came from, the tree's location, the pesticides used on it, and the migrant workers who picked the apple. Eating a piece of meat gives him visions of terrified animals being led to the slaughterhouse and those visions have made him vegetarian. The only food he can eat in peace is beets - beets lead dull lives, apparently. Basically he is hungry all the time and reluctant to eat and bring on disturbing visions. His job as a cop gets tougher and less appetizing when he stops in a restaurant one day and the vegetable soup he orders brings on horrifying visions of 13 grisly murders committed by one of the kitchen help. He stops a mass murderer, but his explanation of just how he knew gets him transfered to Special Crimes Division where the boss is not afraid to exploit Tony's ability - and Tony's case load gets tough to swallow when he starts getting fed evidence from cold cases........

The reader better have a strong stomach as well as a taste for dark humor.

I am number four, by Pittacus Lore

2011-04-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

There were nine children sent to Earth to escape the destruction of their planet Lorien by the evil Mogadorians. Now the Mogadorians are hunting the nine to kill them all, and three are already dead. Number Four knows they are coming for him next. But at 15, Number Four is sick of moving constantly, changing schools, changing names, never making friends or having a girlfriend. So when he settles into Paradise, Ohio, taking the name of John Smith, he refuses to stay anonymous as he has always done before. He makes friends, falls in love, and when the Mogadorians come for him, he fights. This is good fun, and if it doesn't always make perfect sense, well, that's easy to forgive in the adventure of it all.

A love story starring my dead best friend, by Emily Horner

2011-03-31T06:40:00.001-07:00

This book should have been a good one. On the plus side - not one, but two interesting plot lines. The chapters are titled "Then" and "Now", so it's easy enough to move between the two story lines. One story is about a girl, Cass, biking cross country with the ashes of her best friend to complete the road trip that the sudden death of her friend Julia prevented. The other story concerns a play that Julia wrote, and that her friends produce as a tribute to Julia.

But the story is weighed down with a seemingly endless preoccupation with feelings - everybody's feelings, endless discussions about feelings. Well, I've read a succession of terrific books lately, I was overdue to hit a clunker, or maybe I just didn't connect with the characters. Alex Sanchez and David Levithan do a better job with gay issues.

Hold me closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride

2011-03-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

Sam is working the grill at Plimpies on the night shift when he is viciously attacked by a necromancer and a werewolf. The necromancer has recognized Sam as a rival necromancer. News to Sam. When his friend Brooke's head is delivered to his apartment in a box later that night, Sam knows he's in deep trouble and had better figure out this necromancer stuff FAST. (Brooke has lost none of her wise mouth, sharp tongued personality - just, you know, her body). Some may think Sam is a slacker, but the guy does have good friends, and with their help, Sam sets to work and the body count rises.

As Sam says, "My name is Samhaim Corvus LaCroix. I am a necromancer. Now, if only I could say that with a straight face."

Last night I sang to the monster, by Benjamin Alire Saenz

2011-03-28T13:12:00.001-07:00

Zach is in rehab, and doesn't remember how he got there. Every night he wakes screaming from dreams of a monster. But remembering is the last thing Zach wants to do.

There is all kinds of bravery in the world, but this intimate look at bravery of the soul is wrenching and beautiful - unforgetable.

Illyria, by Elizabeth Hand

2011-03-28T13:11:00.001-07:00

Magic. The magic of forbidden love between Maddie and Rogan. The magic of theater as the two lovers perform the lead roles in a production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. And magic in their discovery of an old toy stage made of paper and cardboard - a stage that lights, that changes backdrops and that snows as unseen actors perform to an invisible audience. Their love is as fragile and inexplicable as that paper stage. But there is magic.

Black hole sun, by David MacInnis Gill

2011-03-28T13:10:00.001-07:00

Durango is a 16-year-old mercenary on Mars, barely scraping by, when he is offered the job of protecting the treasure found by an an impoverished band of miners from a race of vicious cannibals. The action is fast and violent. Newly colonized Mars is inhospitable and lawless. And Durango is wonderful - tough as nails, as principled as King Arthur, a hero straight out of the Wild West keeping his small band alive by bravery and wits and an unbreakable code of honor.

"Have gun will travel reads the card of a man -- A knight without armor in a savage land -- His fast gun for hire heeds the calling wind -- A soldier of fortune is the man called Paladin -- Paladin, Paladin, where do you roam? -- Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home." - Theme song from Have Gun, Will Travel (1950's TV Western) If they ever make a movie of Black Hole Sun, I want this as the theme song.

How I live now, by Meg Rosoff

2011-03-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

This is a dystopian novel without a hint of fantasy or science fiction. It's a realistic story of 5 teens in wartime - cut off from any outside help and caught in an ever tightening noose of deprivation. The story is narrated by 15-year-old Daisy, who has escaped a hated life in New York with her recently remarried father and pregnant step-mother. Shortly after her arrival in the English countryside to visit her loving aunt (her dead mother's sister) and 4 cousins, her aunt is killed, the war erupts, and all of their lives are forever altered.

Cut off from outside information, media, supplies, with rumors raging, and facing the fear of an uncertain future, Daisy and her cousin Edmund draw close. As fear, hunger and deprivation mount, their relationship grows in equal measure - love balancing terror.

Love and war leave indelible scars in a powerful and moving story.

Paper towns, by John Green

2011-02-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

I didn't read this book for a long time after it arrived at CHS, mainly because I couldn't get any kind of take on what it is about. Now I've read it, and loved it, and am at a loss for words to explain what it is about without giving up the entire thing. Hmmm. Love - loss - the things that keep us going and the things that break our hearts. I can't explain it either. But I think John Green is one of the best authors out there writing.

Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi

2011-01-24T08:36:00.001-08:00

Set in a not too distant future where the depletion of fossil fuels and climate change have made the Gulf Coast an impoverished, storm wracked region. On the lawless beaches, dirt-poor workers struggle with cut-throat competition for the hellish jobs that mean survival. Here, teenage Nailer works as a light crew member, crawling the ductwork of old rusty oil tankers to salvage copper wire, aluminum staples, anything to make his quota and keep his job. His job is dangerous, but not as dangerous as the level 6 hurricanes which blow from the Gulf regularly nor his vicious father, who with rat-like cunning is willing to sacrifice anything to stay alive. Then one day a hurricane beaches a clipper ship and one occupant is still alive - a wealthy shipping family heiress. Nailer joins forces with her and together they struggle to stay alive long enough to return her to her people.

The story moves along quickly as Nailer and Nita move through an eire swamp of a submerged New Orleans and out onto the gulf waters where a new breed of clipper ship houses the international shipping magnates that are the new wealthy elite of this society.

This is fresh, fast-paced, and leaves the reader with something to think about concerning the choices being made today in regard to fossil fuels, allocation of resources, and distribution of wealth.

Twisted, by Laurie Halse Anderson

2011-01-05T06:58:00.001-08:00

Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak, has written another hard hitting story, this time about just how quickly a person's life can be ruined by today's technology - facebook, texting, cell phones with cameras.

As the story opens Tyler is on probation for a high school prank gone wrong and serving community service hours instead of jail time. His senior year starts with him still getting used to his new bad boy reputation and he finds that reputation comes with a plus side when popular, attractive Brittany starts wanting to spend time with him. But at a drunken party Brittany loses control, and tho Tyler does the right thing and gets her home, someone has taken compromising pictures of her. Tyler's reputation works against him as the gossip mounts that he has taken advantage of Brittany, and the cops, Brittany, his parents, school administrators, basically everybody, are all skeptical of his innocence. With frightening swiftness Tyler's life is going down the tubes, and people's perceptions of reality are far more important than the honest truth.

The Demon's lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan

2010-12-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Nick and Alan Ryves are brothers who have had to live on the run for almost as long as they can remember, since an attack by magicians on their family left their father dead and their mother driven mad. Now the magicians are hunting the brothers and their mother. When a girl and her brother show up at the Ryves home asking for help, the magicians are quickly on their trail, and the brothers are once again on the run, this time with the girl and her brother. Things go from bad to worse when Nick Ryves discovers that the girl's brother has been marked by demons, and suddenly Alan is marked as well. The only chance they have is for Nick to kill the magicians that they have run from for so long. Then Nick learns that his brother knows more than he is telling, and suddenly Nick knows nothing is as he thought it was, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Please ignore Vera Dietz, by A. S. King

2010-12-14T07:20:00.001-08:00

Told from many different points of view - Vera (who is haunted by her dead friend/almost boyfriend) ; Charlie (Vera's friend/almost boyfriend who never believed he was good enough for her) ; Ken Dietz (Vera's dad, who would like to see Vera finish high school without self-destructing). Charlie is the heart of the book - Charlie who came from an abusive home but whose worse abuser turned out to be himself. By the time he asked Vera's help it was too late to save his own life or stop the arson at the local animal rescue, but even in death Charlie wants Vera to clear his name, if she can get past her anger with him.

Ender's game & Ender's shadow, by Orson Scott Card

2010-12-05T11:55:00.001-08:00

I read Ender's shadow several years ago when it was on the Abe list, and enjoyed it a lot. It's taken a while, but I finally got back to the series, and this time read Ender's game, which is the 1st book in the series. These books essentially tell the same story from the perspectives of two different characters, and both are excellent.

Earth has been under alien attack for almost a hundred years, and the next attack is imminent. On earth, humans have genetically engineered children with military genius, and these children are sent to a space station battle school, where they are taught military strategy. Ender Wiggins is the world's best hope to survive, but he is young (six, at the story's opening) and has a lot to learn in a short time. His teachers manipulate behind the scenes, and the older students resent Ender's advancement as Ender struggles to survive the war games that take up most of the battle school curriculum.

Ender's shadow concerns Ender's right hand child commander, Bean.

These are science fiction at it's best - but don't take my word for it. They are on every core collection list I've ever seen and have won numerous awards for Science fiction. Great stuff!

The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff

2010-11-22T07:12:00.001-08:00

Underneath the town of Gentry lies something evil. Something spoken of in whispers, if spoken of at all. It calls itself Mayhem, and it's citizens are a nightmarish collection of beings, some of whom can pass as human if you don't look too closely.

Mackie Doyle lives in Gentry with a loving family - but Mackie is not what he appears to be. He is from Mayhem, traded as an infant into a human family so Mayhem could take the human baby as a sacrifice. Now at 16, Mayhem wants Mackie back. He is getting sick (Mayhem says dying) because the human environment is slowly poisoning him. Then another baby is taken, and the baby's sister, Tate, turns to Mackie for answers. Relations between Gentry and Mayhem are strained and tense as Mackie finds himself drawn against his will into the eerie world of Mayhem to find answers both he and Tate need.

The book is dark, the imagery straight out of nightmares, but Mackie is such a compelling, strange, and sweet hero that I stayed up half the night reading because I couldn't put this down. This is imaginative and creepy at the same time - not for every reader.

Ingo, by Helen Dunmore

2010-11-18T08:36:00.001-08:00

Ingo is a mysterious undersea world only found in old legends - until Sapphire and her brother Connor are called into that world from their ocean side home in Cornwall, England. But the mer folk that inhabit Ingo are not human, and their world is filled with danger for two human teens. Sapphire and Connor find themselves caught between two worlds in the opening book of this series.
The lure of the sea is as real as the tide, and the writing is hypnotic in this romantic adventure series.

Flash burnout, by L.K. Madigan

2010-11-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

Blake's favorite subject is photography, and at 15 Blake can hardly keep up with the changes in his life fast enough to get a snapshot. He is negotiating new territory romantically with his girlfriend Shannon. Meanwhile, a photography class project sends him into the city, where he takes a photo of a passed out street person. Back in photography class, his photograph hits like a bombshell when his friend Marissa recognizes the picture as her meth addict mother. Marissa's vulnerability is exposed, and Blake protects her as a true friend. But life with 2 important girls is complicated, and Blake is headed for a crash course in girl trouble.

I liked Blake, the class comedian with girl trouble. I liked his older brother Garrett too, who for all his upperclassman cool, is there for Blake in the crunch. And then there is his Einstein look-alike Dad, the medical examiner who leaves autopsy tools on the kitchen table. And don't leave out his hospital chaplain mother who flies around the kitchen in hot-flash induced states of undress. But mostly it's Blake's memorable voice that the reader will remember - funny and confused and real, trying to do the right thing and bungling it all.

Wake, by Lisa McMann

2010-10-29T06:53:00.001-07:00

Janie Hannagan's problem is getting worse and harder to hide. Since childhood, Janie has been getting sucked into other people's dreams, leaving her in an almost seizure like trance. Lots of the dreams are familiar - the naked but nobody notices dreams, the everybody's laughing at the dreamer in their underwear dream, the falling dreams. But someone near her is having nightmares, and they are terrifying, leaving Janie shaken and disoriented when she wakes. She really needs someone she can trust to confide in and to watch over her. But Cabel, the only person she can trust, is the one having those nightmares.

This book, part romance and part horror, sucks the reader in to Janie's nightmare world and doesn't let go until the end.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan

2010-10-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

John Green has never written a weak book, and this collaboration with David Levithan works too. Like he did in Boy meets Boy, David Levithan can bring to life an imagined world without prejudice, and the final scene in this book is a dramatic tour-de-force worth reading the rest of the book to get to. The awesome musical theater production - an autobiographical account of gay 300 pound offensive lineman Tiny Cooper's life and loves - is such a feel good scene. John Lennon would have approved that imagined perfect world - Imagine.

The dark days of Hamburger Halpin, by Josh Berk

2010-10-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

When Will Halpin decides to leave his school for the deaf and enter a regular public school, he knows it will be hard. His 1st day teaches him the truth tho. He will never be popular, never be anything but socially invisible. The teachers aren't accustomed to deaf students and don't quite know how to handle him. The other students ignore him. But Will is a keen observer of those around him, and when a student is murdered on a field trip, Will sets out to solve the mystery of who did it.

This is a clever send-up of high school life. All the characters are basic stereotypes - from the boring lecturer American History teacher, to the flirtatious young math teacher reliving her high school glory days, to the ex-marine PE teacher, the pot-smoking insane bus driver, and the tough-guy substitute. Nobody is safe from satire. From the football playing jocks to the homecoming queen princess and the wealthy ugly girl with high social status. And Will doesn't miss a thing, including who among the cast of characters may have murder in their heart.

Right behind you, by Gail Giles

2010-10-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Some books hit you right in your heart when you aren't expecting it, and Right behind you is one of those books. Kip McFarland is a main character who I wasn't sure I wanted to get inside the head of. He's a 14 year old who at the age of nine set another child on fire and killed. As the book opens, he has been in an Alaskan juvenile detention (the youngest inmate ever admitted) for 5 years. Five years of living with other juvenile psychopaths and learning how to survive being around them. Five years of constant psychotherapy. Five years of being locked away from any semblance of normal family life, normal adolescent rites of passage, anything remotely normal at all.

So Kip is released, given a new name of Wade, moves with his dad and stepmom to a new state, and begins a new life. But his old demons are not really gone but are just waiting to sabotage his attempts to build a new life. There are lots of issues here. How does a person rebuild a life with a past that horrific right behind him? How does he build relationships with new people while hiding that kind of past? Does a person with this kind of horror behind him deserve a future at all? And what about the dad, stepmom, psychiatrist also right behind him ready to back him up, and in doing so, opening themselves to being hurt by his self-destructive tendencies.

This is an intensly emotional read, and like all good literature it forces the reader to think about their own prejudices. Lots of people have something to hide (ok-maybe not THIS much to hide) in their pasts. So how do they live with the past, and at what point is it unfair to new people in their lives not to open up about that past? Hard questions.

Perfect chemistry, by Simone Elkeles

2010-09-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Gang member Alex and head cheerleader Brittany are assigned as partners in Chemistry lab, and their personal chemistry sets off a chain reaction that has life changing effects. In less skilled hands, the plot could be ordinary, but Elkeles writes well, and the romantic story becomes one that's impossible to put down as together the two struggle to become the adults they want to be instead of following the paths others expect of them. The secondary characters are interesting as well, from Alex's tough widowed mother, Brittany's handicapped older sister, and their Chemistry teacher, who cares passionately about her students while knowing the difference between being supportive and trying to be a friend to her students.

Trouble, by Gary D. Schmidt

2010-05-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

This story is set on the Massachusetts coast, a social setting well removed from central Illinois, and it's important in that the main characters are "old money" - their families have been wealthy for 300 years, living in the same historic house, attending the same snobish prep schools, their lives bound by traditions that extend to what sports they go out for (crewing) and naturally what college they will attend and what professions they will study for. But money can only insulate people to an extent, and trouble can enter anyone's life.

The story follows Henry through the storm of trouble stirred up when his older brother is hit by a truck belonging to a Cambodian refugee, Chaun. Class conflict, racial prejudice, sibling rivalry, and, most of all, grief play a part in Henry's perfect storm of a summer between 8th grade and freshman year.

The book gets off to a slow start as the reader gets to know the personalities of the main characters, but once that's established, the reader is hooked into having to know how the storm will resolve itself and who else will fall victim. And a road trip that includes a lovable clown of a black lab doesn't hurt, either.

Notes from the midnight driver, by Jordan Sonnenblick

2010-05-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

Alex Gregory is pretty much mad at everybody when this story opens, and he has the smart mouth to let everybody know it. His parents are divorcing (spending his college fund on lawyers), Mom is going out on a 1st date (gross), Dad is shacking up with Alex's third grade teacher (oh so gross), his best friend Laurie is giving him mixed signals about taking their relationship to another level (frustrating). Left alone at home on a Saturday night, Alex decides to show them all how he feels - downing a pint of vodka, he jumps in Mom's car and heads over to Dad's where he hopes to catch him and his lover together and give them a piece of his mind. Bad plan - after the crash he winds up losing his driving priveleges for 2 years and is sentenced to 100 hours of community service at a nursing home where he is to spend the time with an old man who is more than a match for Alex's smart mouth.

Alex's first person narrative is witty and entertaining as he spends the school year grounded, his time taken up trying to cope with his parents, his girlfriend (or is she?), and Solomon Lewis - old crank extraordinaire. I thought the author could have left out the bit about the old man's daughter's identity - life is never that neatly wrapped up. But that is a minor flaw in an otherwise good story - one that made me both laugh and cry.

Geektastic; stories from the nerd herd, edited by Holly black and Cecil Castellucci

2010-04-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

A collection of short stories from some impressive authors - Holly Black (Tithe), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), John Green (Looking of Alaska), David Levithan (Nick & Norah's infinite playlist), Garth Nix (Abhorsen), Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Peeps) - and there are more.

All the stories relate to geeks defined as 1.a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked 2. a person who is so passionate about a given subject as to occasionally cause annoyance among others.

The result is as varied as the authors included - a mix of humor, romance, and sharp insights that are easy to enjoy.

City of bones, City of Ashes & City of glass, by Cassandra Clare

2010-03-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

This is a trilogy that weaves a complicated fantasy. Clary has been raised in New York by her artist mother and her mother's circle of friends. But as she turns 16 she learns that all is not as it appears. An evening in a club with her friend Simon is the lifechanging moment when a whole new world opens up to Clary and she learns that she is a shadowhunter - a race gifted with the ability to see demons and trained to battle them. But Clary has no such training, and as events spiral out of control she needs to learn fast how to survive. Children of the moon (werewolves), of the night (vampires), of Lilith (witches), and of Faerie all have their roles and must unite with the help of angels to defeat the army of demons being raised by Clary's own father, Valentine. Loyalties are forged and tested, and always there is love. The love between Clary and shadowhunter Jace, love between Clary and her best friend Simon, whose life takes a tragic turn when he is bitten by a vampire. Love between Clary's mother and Lucian, an ex-shadowhunter now turned werewolf. A powerful story well told.

(See September blog of City of Bones)

A big little life; a memoir of a joyful dog, by Dean Koontz

2010-03-09T06:29:00.000-08:00

If you have ever had the company of one of those special dogs - the dignified, intelligent, lovely ones - you will appreciate Dean Koontz's memoir of his good dog Trixie. I've enjoyed sharing my home with four dogs, all special in their own way, and one of the four was one of those rare ones that considered it her duty to care for her human family. So I enjoyed reading about Koontz's Trixie, even if I'll admit to skimming bits and doing some picking and choosing among the chapters. I suspect the proceeds of this book will go to a canine charity tho I could not find that it actually said so anywhere in the book. Or maybe the entire book said that.

Front and center, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

2010-03-07T08:28:00.001-08:00

This is the third book in the series that began with Dairy Queen and continued with The off-season. D.J. Schwenk is a junior now, and the year is complicated by college scouts, by a new romantic turn in her old, comfortable friendship with Beaner, by her brother Win's expectations for her. And then ex-boyfriend Brian Nelson comes around. And suddenly D.J. is being pressured from all sides, and she's forced from her comfort zone in the back row, out of the limelight right into the limelight - front and center.

Reading this was like visiting an old friend and I loved seeing how D.J. handled the pressure (besides throwing up). This one is for fans of the first two books tho.

Going bovine, by Libba Bray

2010-03-07T08:11:00.001-08:00

This is a wild road trip - kicked off when teen slacker Cameron gets the bad news that he is going to die from Creutzfeldt-Jacob's (mad cow) disease. Every anti-hero needs a sidekick, and Cameron's sidekick is germ-phobic dwarf, Gonzo. And then there's punk angel (or maybe halucination) Dulcie - pink hair, torn black fishnets, and attitude to spare. The lines between reality and halucination are never clear, and in the end it doesn't really matter. Because Cameron really needs to LIVE before he dies, and live he does - reality be damned.

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

2010-03-04T06:40:00.000-08:00

This is book 2 of the Hunger Games Trilogy, and it is just as good as the 1st book, Hunger Games. I hated the cliffhanger ending, only because it is going to be August 24th before book 3 is out, and I hate waiting so long to know how this is going to get wrapped up.

Vast fields of ordinary, by Nick Burd

2010-02-24T07:32:00.001-08:00

I've put off writing about this one - it has made me think about the nature of relationships, and the hard truth that just because it's real love doesn't mean it's a healthy relationship. Dade Hamilton proves that not once, but twice as he goes from being abused in one relationship to being adored by another who leads him into a dangerous lifestyle. The characters are gay, but the issues are universal, and thoughtfully portrayed in this coming of age/coming out story.

Candor, by Pam Bachorz

2010-02-08T07:38:00.001-08:00

Everything is perfect in the planned community of Candor, Florida. People are happy and upbeat, children are obedient and clean cut - and subliminal messages are beamed to the residents 24/7 to keep residents brainwashed and under mind control.

Oscar Banks is the son of the town's founder(and the head brainwasher), and his model student perfection is a calculated act. He's the only teen in town who knows about the messages, and Oscar fights the messages with his own counterprogramming. For a price, he will help the troubled teens whose parents have moved them to town escape brainwashing long enough to get out of Candor. It's a risky game, and sooner or later there is bound to be trouble. Trouble arrives in the person of Nia. When Nia moves to town, Oscar is attracted to her intelligence and attitude. And Nia sees right through Oscar's good-boy image. But if he helps her escape, he'll lose her forever; and if he lets her stay she will be brainwashed into a "perfect child", and he'll lose what he loves about her forever too.

The author wrote this while living in a "model" Florida town - it's creepy and suspenseful and keeps the reader guessing as Oscar and Nia get further and further into trouble.

Hunger games, by Suzanne Collins

2010-02-08T07:09:00.001-08:00

In an ultimate game of Survivor, 24 young people are chosen annually to compete in the Hunger Games. And the residents of Panem (formerly the U.S.) are forced to watch as their children are pitted against one another in a contest that ends with only one contestant still alive.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen watches in horror as her little sister's name is drawn to compete and steps in to take her place in the games. The other contestant from their district is Peeta, a boy she barely knows. Now Peeta is professing that he has loved her secretly since grade school, and Katniss doesn't know if he's being truthful or playing a clever game to win sympathy with the audience and survive the games. But joining forces with Peeta will give them an edge in the contest if Peeta is on the level. And as the games advance, Katniss needs all the advantage she can get to stay alive.

This is an original and well written suspense story. Readers are telling me that the sequel, Catching fire, is as good or better than this one. And the third book of the trilogy is due out next year. A great futuristic, dystopian vision of our country gone horribly wrong.

Leaving Paradise, by Simone Elkeles

2010-02-08T06:53:00.001-08:00

Caleb Becker has just served a year in juvenile detention for a hit and run accident in which the girl next door was critically injured.

Maggie Armstrong has just spent a year in hospitals and rehabilitation trying to recover use of her leg after being struck by Caleb's car.

Both are returning to school and trying to put their lives back together and are dreading having to see one another. But both are fighting for their lives, and no one understands that as well as each other.

Told in alternating chapters, the stories of these two damaged people struggling with the after effects of a devastating accident is moving and complicated as it becomes a love story with no happy ending in sight.

If I stay, by Gayle Forman

2009-12-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

Don't start reading If I stay until you have time to finish it. If you are like me, you won't want to put it down. Several of you told me that I needed to read this one, and you were so right, I do love this story. The story concerns Mia, a 17-year-old girl and classical musician, who is the sole survivor of a car crash that takes the lives of her entire family. Badly wounded in the crash, the story takes place in the space of 2 days while Mia is hovering between life and death. In flashbacks we get to know her parents, little brother, her best friend, and her indie-rock boyfriend, among others. Yes, it's a sad story, but it is more than that. The relationships are real and interesting - her parents relationship, her friendship with Kim, and especially the romance between her and Adam - all are important to the story. The end is hard hitting. I won't give it away here though.

The movie rights have been sold for this book, and Catherine Hardwicke, the director of Twilight, will be directing this movie. Bring hankies.

Bait, By Alex Sanchez

2009-12-11T06:45:00.001-08:00

Alex Sanchez dedicated this book "To the one in six boys and one in four girls". He is refering to current national statistics that say this is how many suffer childhood sexual abuse. Sanchez worked as a youth counselor and probation officer for years before becoming a writer, and his experiences are put to good use in Bait - writing a believable story of a high school boy who is struggling to move on to adulthood haunted by past abuse. Sanchez brings understanding and hope to a tough subject that is well worth thinking about. Read that dedication again.

Outlaw : the legend of Robin Hood, by Tony Lee

2009-12-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

This is the backstory of Robin Hood, beginning with his childhood when he meets a friend of his father who is a famous outlaw. When that friend is arrested, his father is helpless to save him, and in front of a horrified young Robin his father does the best he can do - shooting his friend to death and thereby saving him from torture and humiliation. The child witness to this drama, young Robin, vows to grow up a master with a bow and sword - to never be as helpless as his father. And so he does grow up, setting the stage for his future as the rebel leader of a band of outlaws who defy the false King John and live by their own law.

The graphic novel illustrations add an emotional depth to the telling of this legendary tale of integrity versus law. For a more in depth telling, take a look at the Raven King Trilogy by Stephen Lawhead - also new to CHS library this year.

Gentlemen, by Michael Northrop

2009-12-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

I liked the voices in this one - these 4 boys are from troubled families, failing in school, sometimes violent, distrustful of everyone except each other. Then one of the four disappears without a trace, and parents, then police, begin questioning the remaining three. The three have questions of their own, and their suspicions begin to fall on one suspect. Could their English teacher really have killed their friend? And if so, who can they tell - would ever believe their suspicions?

Pressures mount to unbearable levels, and soon even the bonds of friendship and loyalty begin to fray. The mystery is enough to keep the reader involved in this book, and the ending won't disappoint.

Shiver, by Maggie Steifvater

2009-11-19T07:16:00.001-08:00

I wouldn't say this book is better than Twilight, but I will go out on a limb here - the werewolf in this book, Sam, is more appealing than Twilight's Jacob.

In Shiver, the werewolves become human in warm weather and wolves in cold. Some of the werewolves love the wolf life. Sam, however, loves his humanity. When he saves the life of a human child from death by the pack, they form a bond. He watches her grow up, and she too watches for him, both denying deeper feelings until those feelings can no longer be hidden. Once their feelings are shared, they must fight. Sam fights to remain human, and Grace fights to keep him with her.

This is a terrific story of love and nature and what it means to be human. Not to be missed!

Movie rights have been sold, and this will eventually be a trilogy, so there is a lot of promise with this one.

Redwall, by Brian Jacques

2009-11-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

This is the 1st book in a long series of fantasy/adventure books. The Guys Read website recommends this for high school level, and this book's checkout rate will help decide whether or not to get more of these. The rest of the series is available from the Jr. High library, so anyone who asks for sequels won't have long to wait.

Newes from the dead, by Mary Hooper

2009-11-10T08:55:00.001-08:00

Based on a true incident, this is the story of Anne Green, a servant in a wealthy household in 1650 England who was seduced by a young member of the family she served, miscarried his child, and when she threatened to name him and damage his reputation, was put on trial for the murder of her miscarried baby. She was found guilty and hanged, only to awaken on the disection table surrounded by medical men about to begin the disection.

The story is told in flashbacks as Anne lies on the table paralysed, and from the perspective of a young medical student present to observe his first disection. The rigid class system of 17th century England is so different from the world we live in today, and stories like this remind me how grateful we should be for not being born to that era.

Nineteen minutes, by Jodi Picoult

2009-11-10T08:54:00.001-08:00

The story opens with a school shooting incident - the nineteen minutes of the title. But after those nineteen minutes in Sterling, New Hampshire, nothing is ever the same for anyone. Lives of victims are over. Lives of surviving victims are irrevocably altered. And then there are other, indirect victims. And one more, the shooter, who has lived his entire life a victim.

Shift, by Jennifer Bradbury

2009-09-12T09:28:00.001-07:00

This is part mystery, part road trip, and all about friendship, both the good parts and the not so good stuff. Chris and Win have been friends since the 3rd grade. The day after high school graduation they take off on a cross-country bike trip from their homes in West Virginia to the West coast. But Win has a private agenda that Chris is unaware of until the day in Montana that Chris gets a flat tire and Win doesn't stop riding. That is the last time Chris sees Win, who completely disappears. Back home, Chris starts college in the fall when an FBI agent shows up courtesy of Win's manipulative father. It becomes clear to Chris that no one is going to find Win unless Win wants to be found, and Chris is the only one who has any chance to find out what happened to his best friend. Bradbury clearly is a biker - no one could write so well about it unless they had put some road miles on a bike. The mystery at the center of the story is intriguing, and her insight into the relationship between friends rings true as well.

Avalon High, by Meg Cabot

2009-09-08T17:17:00.001-07:00

This one is fun to read if you like the King Arthur tales. It is set in modern times at a high school in Annapolis, Maryland, where many of the students bear uncanny resemblances to the characters in the Arthurian stories. Ellie (whose real name is Elaine), moves to town and even before school begins she meets and is instantly drawn to Will (Arthur William Wagner), and he is attracted to her too. Will is dating Jennifer (modernization of Gueneviere), and best friends with Lance (Lancelot). The old triangle has just become a foursome, and things don't work out like in the middle ages, but it's lots of fun to figure out just how things are going to go this time around. Meg Cabot (author of The princess diaries) keeps this re-telling fresh and quick-paced, and a fun romance.

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

2009-09-04T08:28:00.001-07:00

Katsa was born with eyes of two colors, which means that she has been "gifted" with a grace - an extreme skill, and must live in the palace and serve the king as he sees fit. At the beginning of the book Katsa is feared and despised - her skill is killing. The king uses her skill as a weapon to torture and execute his subjects and his enemies alike. Katsa is wild and willful and unhappy. When she meets Po - prince of a neighboring kingdom and another graceling, and her life is about to change. She begins to see that she can take charge of her own life, and soon she and Po set off on a mission full of political intrigue and personal danger.

This is fantasy that will keep the reader guessing what is coming next and is full of action and touched with romance. There will be sequels, and I hope they are as good as this 1st book promises.

Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson

2009-09-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Laurie Halse Anderson doesn't shy away from tough topics, and Wintergirls tackles the subject of anorexia with characteristic grit and understanding. The story concerns Lia and her friend Cassie who have competed to lose weight, spiraling into the winter of the illness and obsession that characterize anorexia. As the book opens Cassie has died of anorexia, and her death adds the burden of guilt and loss to Lia's already fragile hold on life. This is tough reading, and the author does a great job of exploring the problems of anorexia with understanding.

The last exit to Normal, by Michael Harmon

2009-09-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

Ben Campbell is angry and rebellious after his dad announced that he was gay and his family blew apart. Ben has gotten in some serious trouble with the law, and as a result Dad and his boyfriend Edward move with Ben to live in Rough Butte, Montana with Edward's mother. Rough Butte isn't friendly toward gays or skateboarders either. The reader knows where this is going with Ben coming to terms with life, but the book is well written with both attitude and insight.

Hood, by Stephen R. Lawhead

2009-09-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Stephen Lawhood has taken the Robin Hood legends and set them in medieval Wales, where Norman invaders are picking off tiny kingdoms one by one. Bran ap Brychan, heir to the throne of Elfael, has gone into hiding after the ambush and massacre of his father, the king, along with most of the able-bodied men of the kingdom. Pursued and hunted, Bran makes his way deep into the ancient forest where he finds others who have also found safety there. And from hiding he finds ways to secretly help the people of his kingdom who are suffering under the heavy yoke of the Norman invaders. This is a fresh re-telling of the old legends, and a compelling adventure story too.

Aftershock, by Kelly Easton

2009-09-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

In a state of shock, 17-year-old Adam walks away from the scene of the car accident that has killed his parents. Stranded on a lonely road in rural Idaho, he heads east, on foot, as random snippets of memory wander in and out of his mind. Too traumatized to speak, his silence is misinterpreted by the succession of characters he meets on the odyssey home to Rhode Island. Stumbling upon a Wiccan meeting in a forest, he is taken in by one of the chatty young women and takes a job as a dishwasher in a local diner, where he is treated as deaf. Weeks later, he hitchhikes with a trucker and finds backbreaking work in Colorado fields with Mexican migrant farmers. He struggles to survive as he devours a frozen pizza found in a taxidermist's cabin, sleeps in a Dumpster, crashes a picnic, and steals a car. The adventures intertwine with thoughts about his girlfriend, locker-room antics, his parents, their bookstore, and his autistic cousin–spontaneously, as if his mind has short-circuited from the crash.
Adam, before the crash, is a normal and likable young man. His cross-country journey home from the scene of the crash parallels his emotional journey back to sanity, and the reader hopes that at the end of that journey he will find a life that feels like home.

The Heretic's daughter, by Kathleen Kent

2009-09-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Andover, Massachussets is a tiny village just a few miles from one who's name resonates down the years through American history - Salem. In The heretic's daughter, Kathleen Kent tells the story of her ancestors Thomas and Martha Carrier and how they were caught up in the witch-hunt hysteria of the 1690s, told through the eyes of their daughter Sarah. The depiction of life in early, plague swept New England is fascinating in itself. But the emotional drama builds slowly to it's inevitable hysterical storm and we see the Carriers trapped by family ties, by economic realities, and by the Puritan faith itself. This is a strong story well told. The author makes us care about these people and understand both their lives and the forces that eventually bring tragedy to them. One of the best historical fiction books I can remember reading.

City of bones, by Cassandra Clare

2009-09-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

15 year old Clary and her friend Simon are in a New York club when Clary witnesses a murder committed by three teens covered with strange tatoos and using bizarre weapons. But she is the only one who can see the 3 murderers, and the body disappears. Clary soom finds herself deeply involved in a clan of Shadowhunters - warriors dedicated to hunting and killing demons who stalk the earth. And the Shadowhunters are interested in finding out why Clary has the sight that allows her to see them and the demons. Clary soon finds that her life up to now has been a falsehood, and almost everyone she knows is not who she thought they were. Her friend Simon is her only constant friend, tho she is soon drawn to a handsome Shadowhunter named Jacy, who is equally drawn to her. There are plots and counterplots, twists and turns on every page. Fantasy readers won't want to miss this one and it's sequels.

The Good guy, by Dean Koontz

2009-09-02T07:53:00.001-07:00

Timothy Carrier, a quiet stone mason having a beer in a California bar, meets a stranger who mistakes him for a hit man. The stranger slips Tim a manila envelope containing $10,000 in cash and a photo of the intended victim, Linda Paquette, a writer in Laguna Beach, then leaves. A moment later, Krait, the real killer, shows up and assumes Tim is his client. Tim manages to distract Krait from immediately carrying out the hit by saying he's had a change of heart and offering Krait the $10,000 he just received. This ploy gives the stone mason enough time to warn Linda before they begin a frantic flight for their lives. (Amazon)

This thriller grabs the reader from the first page and doesn't let go. I could barely put it down until I had it finished, when I could finally resume my life.

Feed, by M.T. Anderson

2009-09-02T07:04:00.001-07:00

This story is set in the future, where large corporations have taken advertising and consumerism to extremes. Humans have "feeds" implanted in their brains almost from birth, feeds that are part Internet, part advertising. The ability to read and write and even to think for ones self has been almost completely obliterated. Titus, who narrates the story in his frighteningly simple voice, is leading a contented life of partying and shopping until he meets Violet. Violet didn't get her feed until she was in grade school, thus her brain retains developed thought processes independent of the feed. Violet is doing the unheard of - she is fighting the feed. Through Violet, Titus begins, dimly, to realize that his thoughts are not his own but are implanted for commercial purposes.

This is scary reading, especially in the light of current brain research that is working on identifying a person's thoughts through brain scans. If your thoughts can be scanned, is it a big leap till can they be altered? Today Channel One (brought to you by Coca Cola) - tomorrow, who knows.

Gym candy, by Carl Deuker

2009-09-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

Carl Deuker is one of the best sports fiction writers working today. I have read so called "sports" books where all the action takes place off field. Not Deuker. The reader gets a lot of football in this book, and it's written so that even a non-athlete can find it interesting and understandable. The title of the book refers to steroids. Gym candy is an inside look at the motivation for a high school athlete to get involved in steroid use, and the problems that go along with it.
High Heat (baseball) has been my favorite Deuker book for a long time, but this one is just as good and well written.

Life as we knew it, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2009-09-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Miranda is a typical sophmore in high school - anxious for her driver's liscence, hanging out with her friends, arguing with Mom, and looking forward to Prom. An interesting astrological event has her neighbors in lawn chairs viewing the moon on the evening an meteor is predicted to hit the moon. The meteor hits, and life on earth is changed forever as the collision shifts the moon closer to the earth causing violent earthquakes, erupting volcanoes, huge tsunamis, and millions of deaths. All that Miranda has taken for granted suddenly begins to disappear. Food and gasoline are in short supply, and winter is coming on without heat or electricity. This is hard to put down, and hard to forget.

Princess Ben, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

2009-09-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

When Princess Benevolence's parents are killed, she finds herself under her aunt, the queen's, thumb, being groomed as a royal princess. The plump princess is starved, corseted, and forced to attend endless tedious lessons for dancing, conversation, card playing - things the queen believes she needs to learn. But Princess Ben is independent and smart. When the queen locks her in the tower in a fit of rage, Ben finds a secret and magical hidden room where her real education begins. Her secret education pays off when Ben learns the kingdom is about to be overtaken through the queen's treachery. and only Ben (and her magic) can save her kingdom. The story is entertaining - funny and clever. Princess Ben's transformation from a sulky girl into a dedicated leader is an entertaining journey.

This author writes warm and funny stories, and Princess Ben is one more. If you like her humor, try Dairy Queen and The off season too.

Pride of Baghdad, by Brian K. Vaughan & art by Niko Henrichon (Graphic Novel)

2009-09-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

"In April of 2003, four lions escaped the Baghdad Zoo during the bombing of Iraq. The starving animals were eventually shot and killed by U.S. soldiers." These are the final words in this moving graphic novel that tells the lions' story. The author and illustrator imbue the lions with majesty, dignity, and pride. We follow the story of the lions from their captivity in the zoo, through their struggle to survive in the middle of the bombing, their search for food and shelter in the bombed out city, and if their death does not move the reader, the reader doesn't have a heart.

Odd hours, by Dean Koontz

2009-08-31T18:14:00.001-07:00

This is the fourth book Koontz has written about Odd Thomas - a well named young man who has the ability to see ghosts and other supernatural beings and has visions of the future. Odd is one of the most endearing and quirky characters you are ever likely to meet as he sets out like a modern day knight to rescue the innocent and fight the forces of evil. Odd's self-depreciating sense of humor, his compassion, and his calm acceptance of his bizarre world make these books hard to put down.

We have all four books in this series at CHS, and I would recommend reading them in order, beginning with the first one, Odd Thomas.

The haunting of Alizabel Cray, by Chris Wooding

2009-08-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

This horror story takes place in a Victorian England haunted with evil supernatural creatures bent on taking over the world. Thaniel, seventeen, is a wych-hunter. Together, he and Cathaline--his friend and mentor--track down the fearful creatures that lurk in the Old Quarter of London. It is on one of these hunts that he first encounters Alaizabel Cray. Alaizabel is half-crazed, lovely, and possessed.Whatever dreadful entity has entered her soul has turned her into a strange and unearthly magnet--attracting evil and drawing horrors from every dark corner. Cathaline and Thaniel must discover its cause--and defend humanity at all costs.

This story gets off to a slow start, but once I got into it a couple of chapters I was hooked by the dark mystery and suspense. Fantasy lovers shouldn't miss this one.