Vast fields of ordinary, by Nick Burd

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

"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

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

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.

City of thieves, by David Benioff

City of thieves is a World War II story that takes place in Russia during the Siege of Leningrad. The Germans have Leningrad cut off, and the people still surviving are starving and desperate. Two young men, one an army deserter and one arrested as a looter, are about to be executed when they are given a reprieve. Lev and Kolya can find a dozen eggs for an NKVD colonel to use for his daughter's wedding cake and live. Or fail, and die. So the two set off on an impossible 4 day quest that takes them through the frozen city, through the surrounding countryside, and eventually behind German lines in search of the eggs that will save their lives.
This is part war tale, part coming of age story, part adventure and love story. It is brutal and funny, touching and always entertaining.

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.................

A complicated kindness, by Miriam Toews

This book sounded interesting because it is set in a Mennonite community in Canada and I was interested in gaining insight into what that life is like. BUT, the characters are so seriously disturbed that I ended up disappointed. The downward spiral of family disfunction, substance abuse, and most of all clinical depression just got to be too much for me and I didn't finish the book, which almost never happens.

Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan

The beginning chapters of this book are brutal as the main character is abused, raped, and struggles to survive in a cruel existance. Cornered in a hopeless existance, she finds sanctuary in magic when she is whisked into an alternate reality. Here the story gets interesting. She is raising two very innocent daughters in her safe but tiny world when reality begins to intrude in the form of visitors from the real world, some who are decent people, and some who are not. Eventually the bolder daughter escapes back into the real world, and her mother and sister follow. The story has a message about how life is full of brutality and evil existing side by side with love, integrity, and good. Does the existance of evil make the existance of good more precious?

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow

Marcus is computer wise, and outwitting school security is his ticket to a day off to play the real world component of his favorite online game. But Marcus and his friends pick the wrong day to escape school when they find themselves near ground 0 of a terrorist attack similar to 9/11. Picked up by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison (think Guantonimo), they are subjected to merciless interrogation for days. When finally released, Marcus discovers that San Francisco has been turned into a police state with every action watched, every move monitored by a DHS gone mad. His computer is bugged, he's under police surveilance, and he's on a mission - bringing down the DHS.
The author of Little Brother is a tech guru in his own right, and the story has implications that should make us all stop and think about where technology can lead us in the not that distant future.

The graveyard book, by Neil Gaiman

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own. The story of Bod's childhood is a fresh story with surprises on every page. I liked Gaiman's Coraline, but I like this one even better. The illustrations add to the spooky atmosphere and help make this one just plain fun to read. The Newbery award folks got it right this year!

An abundance of Katherines, by John Green

I love guy humor, and this book has it in spades. Always being dumped by girls named Katherine, Colin Singleton, a washed-up child prodigy with a Judge-Judy obsessed best friend, embarks on a quest to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which will impact all of his future relationships and change his life. By the same author as Looking for Alaska, but this time John Green trades in the drama for humor, and does it every bit as well. And what is more fun than a road trip?

Lament, by Maggie Stiefvater / Wicked lovely, by Melissa Marr

These two books have essentially the same conflict, but the two authors have dealt with it in two very different ways. In both stories, a teen girl is chosen by the Summer King of Faerie to be his queen. How the girls react and respond to the situation makes for good romantic suspense. Both are engaging and fun to read. Wicked lovely has sequels that we will have to be getting, though we don't have them at CHS now. The author of Lament is working on a sequel, so we will be watching for that to come out next year.

Dishes, by Rich Wallace

Summertime out East - Straight Danny spends the summer working aa a dishwasher in a gay bar, running, hanging out at the beach, getting to know his Dad who has never been a big part of his life, checking out the girls, softball, the GIRL. It's a summertime story. No tough issues, no drama, no angst. It's ok to be straight seems to be the message.

A Northern light, by Jennifer Donnelly

This historical fiction story takes place in rural Maine at the turn of the last century. Life was slower, more agricultural, and a young woman had to make a choice between love or a career. Love in a time before birth control meant marriage, babies, and backbreaking labor to keep a house and farm going. So seventeen year old Mattie is resisting the growing pressure she feels to marry the young man who loves her. Her father needs her to help raise her younger brother and sisters and to stay at home. Her teacher at school is trying to show her the possibility of a college education in New York. Girls in 1906 decided their lives early, and Mattie has already stayed in school long past the time most girls quit school and married.

This is an introspective, quiet story. Well written, and one that will stay with me for a long time I think.

A great and terrible beauty, by Libba Bray

I recently re-read this book. It is a mysterious and compelling story that follows a Victorian girl who has been brought up in India until the murder of her mother on her 16th birthday forces her father to send her back to England. In England she is sent to a boarding school for upper class young women. Gemma soon discovers that a mysterious young man she saw in India has followed her, and he has explanations for the haunting visions that begin to plague her. But are his explanations truthful, or is there another, darker explanation? Gemma is thrown into a world where she doesn't know who to trust or who to turn to for help. The book is a combination of fantasy, horror, historical fiction, and a little romance.