Putting makeup on the fat boy, by Bil Wright

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.

Carter finally gets it, by Brent Crawford

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.

Gemini bites, by Patrick Ryan

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.

The cardturner, by Louis Sachar

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)

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.

Hold me closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride

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."

Paper towns, by John Green

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.

Flash burnout, by L.K. Madigan

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.

The dark days of Hamburger Halpin, by Josh Berk

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.

Notes from the midnight driver, by Jordan Sonnenblick

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

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.

Front and center, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

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.

Shift, by Jennifer Bradbury

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.

Princess Ben, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

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.

Voss : How I came to America and am hero, mostly, by David Ives

This is funny, light reading - an extended Saturday Night Live skit kind of book that lampoons American culture. Vospop Vsklzwczdztwczky comes to America and gets in dip dip trobble.................