Posts Tagged «teens»
Thursday, October 6th, 2011
by Louis Sachar, 336 pages, Grades 7-adult
At first Alton thought being forced to visit his elderly uncle was going to be pretty boring. He was pretty sure his uncle didn’t even know who he was, even though his mother had been making him call Uncle Lester, a.k.a. Trap, his “favorite uncle” ever since he was little.
He was even more certain that this was going to be boring when his uncle explained that what he needed was a cardturner for his bridge games each week since he could no longer see the cards; Trap had recently lost his eyesight. Alton could only remember old people playing bridge, and the game seemed to include a lot of complicated rules, not particularly, but he agreed to help his “favorite uncle.”
His “favorite uncle” also turned out to be pretty crabby at first, and was not a man to give compliments very often, but everyone has a story; there is a lot more to Trap’s story than Alton ever could have guessed. The mystery of Trap’s past is entertaining, bridge is intriguing, and when a pretty girl enters the picture Alton’s boring summer turns into one of the best of his life.
Connections: If you enjoy Louis Sachar, you might also like Holes. Another great read about younger and older generations connecting is called The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: bridge (card game), competition, cross generation, elderly, families, realistic fiction, romance, teens, uncles
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Sunday, September 4th, 2011
by Andrew Lane, 311 pages, Grades 6-9
Maybe you have heard of Sherlock Holmes the grown man who solved impossible crimes with his sidekick Watson, but did you ever wonder what he was like as a teenager?
Death Cloud is the first adventure of the teenage Sherlock. He is not yet officially the mastermind he will become, but you can see his mind already has those keen sensibilities that make him the superior detective he is as an adult.
“‘You came in Father’s carriage,’” the young Sherlock tells his older brother when he sees him.
“‘How on earth did you deduce that, young man?’
Sherlock shrugged. ‘I noticed the parallel creases in your trousers where the upholstery pressed them, … Father’s carriage has a tear in the upholstery that was repaired rather clumsily a few years ago. The impression of that repair is pressed into your trousers…’”
Brilliant deduction! But can he solve the mysterious murders taking people around him in a cloud of death while being pursued by the criminals themselves? Is the teenager up to the task?
Connections: If you like a good mystery you might also enjoy Heist Society, by Ally Carter, or Montmorency: Thief, Liar Gentleman?, by Eleanor Updale.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: adventure, detective, London, mystery, teens
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Friday, June 3rd, 2011
by Eileen Cook 256 pages grades 7 and up
Hailey Kendrick got the whole school on probation; no one can leave campus because of her. She has gone from popular to outcast in one night.
Hailey attends a fancy boarding, so fancy, in fact, children of movie stars, and teen stars themselves, are her classmates. She has no money worries, obviously, she is popular and is dating one of the most handsome guys in the school. Her life seemed pretty perfect until she got everyone on probation.
What is going on? Has Hailey lost her mind, or was there something already boiling beneath the surface that just had to burst free? And, how is she going to manage life when everyone she knows has dumped her?
Other fun realistic fiction with teen girl central characters are: Heist Society, by Ally Carter, Rules of the Road, by Joan Bauer, and a fantasy with a teen girl central character is Matched, by Ally Condie.
Tags: friendship, girls, high schools, identity, realistic fiction, romance, teens
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Friday, June 3rd, 2011
by Maryrose Wood, 278 pages, Grades 7 and up.
Even Jesamine, who is the daughter of the apothecary and a skilled gardener, is not allowed beyond the locked gate of the poison garden. Jesamine lives with her father, who heals the sick in and around London, in a country house in the mid 1800s.
One day the man in charge of the local home for the insane delivers a mysterious young man he calls Weed to their doorstep. Jesamine’s father agrees to take him in even though he seems dangerous; he might be to blame for curing those in the asylum, and creating an epidemic of insanity in town.
The arrival of Weed reveals things to Jesamine that she has not realized about herself, about her father, and about the nature of poisons. Her life will never be the same.
If you like romance, mystery and fantasy you might also like Graceling, by Kristin Cashore, Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, or Matched by Allie Condie.
Tags: family problems, fantasy, historical fiction, love stories, mystery, teens
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Friday, May 13th, 2011
by Ally Carter, 287 pages, Grades 6-10
Kat knows a lot about famous works of art, she is an expert when it comes to museums, but she is not a museum curator or an art history major; she is a teenager. Kat was raised surrounded some of the greatest criminal masterminds in history; her mom died when she was young, but her dad and her Uncle Eddie taught her everything she knows, and she knows a lot!
Kat thinks she is taking a break from the family business; she is enrolled in a private boarding school, but then her dad is in trouble and she has to pull a heist herself to save him.
If you liked any of the Oceans movies you’ll enjoy Heist Society; it is Oceans Eleven with teen criminals and a female in charge.
Tags: adventure, crime, families, mystery, suspense, teens
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Friday, May 13th, 2011
by M. J. Auch 260 pages Grades 6-9
Travis is out on the street. His father, at his wits end after his mother’s accident, lost his temper and kicked him out of the house with nothing but the clothes on his back and his mom’s old guitar.
Not only does Travis have to worry about how to survive on the street, he is also worried about the rest of his family. His younger sister had to give up going to school to take care of their three younger siblings; the three little ones are missing their mom, and don’t really understand what has happened to her; his father is so distraught he has lost one job and cannot find another; his mother, rather than being helped to recover, has been housed in a convalescent home with a lot of people not expected to get any better.
Travis has his hands full, and his pockets empty. Guitar Boy is a different kind of survival story.
Other stories about difficult family situations are Bloomability, by Sharon Creech, and If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, by Gennifer Choldenko.
Tags: Add new tag, brothers and sisters, coming of age, family problems, fathers and sons, outsiders, realistic fiction, teens
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
by James Dashner 374 pages, Grades 6-10
Tom wakes up in a box without windows or doors. He fumbles around and cannot find a way out until the top opens up and beyond the glare of the bright light he hears kids voices.
“Look at that shank.”
“How old is he?”
“Looks like a klunk in a T-shirt.” (p.3)
Tom cannot remember who he is or where he came from, but he is pulled up into the Glade by a bunch of other teenage boys. All the kids there arrived in about the same state: confused, some sense of the way things work, but no clear memories of the details of their lives before the dark box that delivered them.
The Glade is a bit like a working farm and a bit like a prison. Each of the teens has a job to keep the place functioning: cook, farmer, slopper, runner, etc., but there is no way out. They all believe their one hope to get home is to decipher the maze that surrounds the Glade, but the maze changes shape every night, and there are frightening things that roam its halls.
Connections: Those who enjoyed Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins or Unwind, by Neal Shusterman will like the Maze Runner too!
Tags: dystopian world, fantasy, running, survival, suspense, teens
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Friday, March 25th, 2011
by Ally Condie, 366 pages, Grades 7 and up
In a future world where no one has to fear disease, malnutrition, crime, or other problems of past cultures, people trust The Society to make the best decisions about everything: the food you should be eating, the clothes you wear and even who is best suited to be your partner for life.
Cassia has reached the age of her matching, and at the ceremony while others are paired with people from other cities far away Cassia is surprised and grateful to find her match is Xander, her best friend from childhood. She leaves the ceremony feeling confident this is her ideal mate, but when she uses the computer to find out more about her match the face of another boy she knows flashes on the screen!
This little “mistake” opens Cassia’s eyes to the possibility that The Society might not really be as perfect as she has been brought up to believe; could this doubt put everyone she knows in danger? And, who is her real match?
If you enjoy dystopian fantasy, fiction that takes place in a future that is the opposite of an ideal world, you might also like: Unwind by Neal Shusterman, or Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Crossed, the sequel to Matched will come out in 2011.
Tags: coming of age, dystopian, families, fantasy, identity, love stories, romance, teens
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Monday, February 7th, 2011
By Susin Nielsen, 229 pages, Grades 6-8
Violet is having a hard year. She almost poisons her step-sisters (unintentionally, of course), she breaks a classmate’s nose (less than unintentionally), she crashes into a movie star’s car (honestly by mistake), only to name a few of the mishaps of her seventh grade year. Really, Violet is only tying to make it through middle school, survive visits with her dad and Jennica (her dad’s new wife, who is fake in more ways than one), and make sure her mom doesn’t fall for the wrong guy again, but somehow nothing seems to go as planned. If only she could get George Clooney to write her back, she is sure he will love her mom and make her real sister’s and her life much better.
If you enjoy realistic fiction with a bit of humor like Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison, or Absolutely Normal Chaos, by Sharon Creech, then Dear George Clooney… might be for you.
Tags: brothers and sisters, coming of age, divorce, families, family problems, friendship, Hollywood, humor, middle school, realistic fiction, step_siblings, teens
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Monday, February 7th, 2011
By Scott Westerfeld, 44o pages, Grades 7 and up
Westerfeld has created an alternative history of World War I and filled it with Clanker and Darwinist war machines. The Clankers use mechanical transports that remind readers of the Empire’s AT-AT walkers in Star Wars while the Darwinists use flying machines that live, breathe and eat. In fact, one of their greatest living machines called Leviathan is really an entire ecosystem; whale DNA, bat, and bird all mixed together to create a huge flying zeppelin manned by the military. Daryn, a girl disguised as a young soldier, joins the Darwinist army and is aboard the Leviathan when the war begins. Alek, the Austrian prince, escapes his country after his parents’ assassination in a Clanker contraption. A near fatal crash, and a famous scientist seeking to save her precious cargo bring Daryn and Alek’s worlds and missions together in the chaos of the beginning of an alternate first World War.
This book’s sequel Behemouth has recently arrived and promises to be another thrilling adventure. Another exciting adventure including a zeppelin and an alternative past is called: Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel. Oppel’s story is less of war and more like an adventure on the high seas with pirates and mysterious creatures.
Tags: adventure, Darwin, fantasy, friendship, identity, steam_punk, suspense, teens, war, World War I, Young Adult
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Friday, November 19th, 2010
by Mark Shulman p. 230 Grades 7 and up.
Tod Munn has a bad reputation; he has been known to steal the wimps’ lunch money, push his way into the front of the lunch line and shove people into the lockers when they least expect it. He is not someone you want to mess with if you don’t want to get hurt. Naturally Tod has landed himself in detention, and this time it is for something really bad, but he is not outside raking leaves with his “droogs,” instead he is spending time one-on-one with the school counselor, Mrs. Woodrow.
For detention he has to write in a journal every day after school. He spends weeks with the counselor in a hot school room writing and writing until it feels like his hand might fall off. Tod thinks the counselor is trying to “fix the bad guy,” and he doesn’t think it is going to work, either. Who do you think is right; is the bully really a bad guy, or is there more to the story than meets the eye?
Connections: If you like books about tough kids you might like Small Steps by Louis Sachar or if you enjoy books written in journal form you might also enjoy Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech.
Tags: coming of age, family life, family problems, friends, high schools, identity, misunderstanding, outsiders, realistic fiction, teens, Young Adult
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
By Lian Hearn, p. 305 – adventure
Takeo has never known his father, who died many years before, and he has been growing up in a remote and peaceful Japanese village surrounded by the rest of his loving family. The rest of Japan is not so; it is a time of warlords, and secret societies in the middle ages, and Takeo’s home is attacked and destroyed by a warlord named Iida who is threatening to take over the whole country. When Takeo returns from a walk in the woods and sees his village burning, something inside him takes over. He scares the warlord’s horse and causes Iida to fall to the ground. Understanding his fatal blunder, he runs back into the woods chased by the warlord’s soldiers. They all run into a man on horseback who fights for Takeo, cutting off the arm of one of Iida’s best warriors. This mysterious man turns out to be a lord of the Otori clan, another of the powerful families of Japan.
Takeo’s life changes completely from this day forward. He is adopted by the Otori and he discovers his father was a famous assassin. He also finds out his real heritage is the Tribe, a kind of secret ninja society; he possesses some of the Tribe’s extraordinary abilities. He can hear details across a crowded courtyard, or through a wooden door, he can make himself “go invisible” and become as silent as a ghost.
In these turbulent times, talents like these are desired by many, and Takeo finds himself pulled in different directions, but he is determined to complete the final task for his adopted father: kill Iida, the same lord who burned his village and killed his family. The trouble is the only way to reach the warlord in his palace is to cross the nightingale floor, a huge room covered in a floor that sings whenever anyone touches it. How can he cross the nightingale floor and avenge his family?
Connections: For other stories taking place in medieval Japan try The Samurai’s Tale, by Erik Christian Haugaard, or The Sword that Cut the Burning Grass: A Samurai Mystery, by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler.
Tags: adventure, coming of age, families, fantasy, historical fiction, identity, love stories, orphans, outsiders, survival, teenagers, teens
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Friday, September 24th, 2010
By Michael Scott – p. 375 – Grade 6-9 – fantasy
Michael Scott is a professor of mythology and was inspired by the TRUE story of Nicholas Flamel. He was actually a real person! He was born in Paris on September 28, 1330, and buried 1418, but the tomb is empty! Thus begins the myth, or history, of the alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel, immortal and still alive in today?
The Alchemyst begins in modern day New York City; teenage twins Sophie and Josh have moved there for the summer. The brother works in a bookstore for Nick Flemming (name sound familiar?) and the sister works at a cafe across the street. Right away the bookstore is blown up by mud people and a menacing character named Dr. John Dee. When Dee and his muddy henchmen storm into the bookstore, Josh is watching from a hiding place. Dee grabs Flamel’s wife, Perry, and almost makes off with the most powerful book of magic, but Josh manages to grab a few key pages before he and Mr. Flemming have to escape the explosion. Flamel believes Josh and Sophie might be the twins of the prophecy, so he wants to keep them close in the hopes of finding his precious wife and the stopping Dee from destroying the world as we know it. From the moment the bookstore explodes Josh and Sophie are on a roller coaster adventure, full of magical, mythical creatures and frightening beasts. Sequels The Magician and The Sorceress continue the perilous adventure.
Connections: Other adventure fantasies The Lightning Thief series, by Rick Riordan, Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling, The Alchemist’s Cat, by Robin Jarvis
Tags: Add new tag, adventure, brothers and sisters, fantasy, heroes, mystery, mythology, survival, suspense, teenagers, teens
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Monday, August 30th, 2010
By William Kamkwamba, p. 273 – adult autobiography
When William was a kid he loved to take thing apart. He dissembled his parents radios and spent hours investigating a neighbor’s bike light, spinning the wheel to turn it on and stopping the wheel to turn it off. Sometimes this experimenting drove his parents crazy, but it was this kind of thinking that would save his village. When he was 13 Malawi experienced a two year famine; his family survived, but were left nearly penniless. It was this struggle that was the spark igniting William’s creative thinking; he just knew that power was the answer to his village’s troubles. If they could somehow control energy, they could work later into the night, pump water to their crops, farm more efficiently, and farm enough crops to save some for hard times. He used his local library, a one-room building about a quarter of our library reference room) and the town junk yard to build a working windmill. The people of the village thought he was crazy until his house was filled with light. He was finally recognized by the wider world and was honored at TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design): Ideas Worth Sharing. Check out – William Kamkwamba: How I Harnessed the Wind. This incredible teenage journey is a compelling read for middle school students and adults as well.
Connection: For other true stories about overcoming astonishing odds try Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson, Of Beetles and Angels, by Mawi Asgedom, or 5,000 Miles to Freedom, by Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin.
Tags: Africa, heroes, inspirational, inventor, Malawi, memoir, nonfiction, teens, upstander
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Friday, April 30th, 2010
by Robin Brande p. 327 Young adult
No exploding volcanoes for seventeen-year-old Cat (Catherine) Locke’s science fair project! Instead, the smart, competitive overweight teen makes herself the guinea pig for her project. Her goal is to live for seven months as a Homo erectus, an early prehistoric human, which means no technology (cars, cell phones, computers except for school work) and no processed foods including sugar. Cat is determined to win the science fair, mostly to get revenge on her former best friend and rival Matt McKinney, whom she believes betrayed her most terribly in seventh grade. All the walking and healthy eating causes her to lose weight and feel better, and after her best friend Amanda takes her shopping for stylish clothes, Cat starts drawing a lot of male attention. This young adult novel is filled with funny, clever teen conversation and portrays friendship at its best.
Connections: These young adult novels also deal with weight and weighty issues: Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen, Life in the Fat Lane by Cherie Bennett, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher and Dough Boy by Peter Marino.
Tags: diet, eating, fiction, friendship, high schools, hominins, Homo erectus, love stories, relationships, science experiments, self-perception, sustainable foods, teenagers, teens, Young Adult
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Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
by Gordon Korman p. 260 Grades: 6-9
Pop! That’s the feeling and imagined sound that comes from taking the hit in tackle football and that sixteen-year old Marcus has come to love. Before this summer, Marcus had always held back as quarterback, fearful of being injured. New in town and hanging out in the park to practice his football maneuvers, he meets Charlie, an eccentric older man who challenges Marcus and teaches him to play rough and tumble football fearlessly. Disappointed that Troy Popovich gets to start as quarterback, Marcus takes on his role as lineman with a vengeance, winning him not only the acceptance of his teammates but also Troy’s former girlfriend. The tension grows between Marcus and Troy when Marcus learns that Charlie is Troy’s father and discovers the reason behind Charlie’s increasingly odd behavior. Korman delivers lots of football action as well as a thoughful story.
Connections: Here are some other good football novels for teens: Crackback by John Coy, Necessary Roughness by Marie Lee, and Gym Candy by Carl Deuker. Matt Christopher writes football stories for younger readers.
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, fathers and sons, fiction, football, friendship, head injuries, high school, humor, pranks, sports, teens
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Sunday, October 11th, 2009
by Dene Low. p. 196 Grades 5-8
What a funny, frothy farce! Set in Victorian England, this improbable mystery concerns sixteen-year-old Petronella who is about to have her London debut when her guardian Uncle Augustus swallows a giant beetle and develops an insatiable hunger for all insects. The story begins at Petronella’s sixteenth birthday party on her large country estate where her uncle swallows the bug, two of her celebrity guests disappear, and we meet the romantic Lord James Sinclair. Filled with Petronella’s witty observations and banter, lots of slapstick, luscious language,and some romantic possibilities, this books is a delight to read.
Connections: If you enjoy this book, try the short stories and novels by P.G. Wodehouse such as How Right You Are, Jeeves, Carry on, Jeeves, and Leave It to Psmith.
Tags: adventure, girls, guardians, historical fiction, humor, insects, London, melodrama, mystery, orphans, romance, teens, uncles, Victorian England
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Monday, September 14th, 2009
by Jen Bryant. p. 257 Grades 5-8
It’s summer vacation and what could be better than sneaking out at night to look for buried treasure with your two best friends?! After thirteen-year-old Lyza’s grandfather dies, she finds an envelope in his attic marked ”For Lyza ONLY.” It containis three maps, a key, and a letter with rather crypic directions which lead Lyza, Malcolm and Carolann on an adventure to find pirate William Kidd’s buried treasure. Set in 1968, this novel is told in verse against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the cultural revolution of the sixties.
Connections: The Voyage of the Arctic Tern by Hugh Montgomery is another pirate adventure in verse. For more books on pirates, try Sea Queens : Women Pirates Around the World by Jane Yolen, Piracy & Plunder : a Murderous Business by Milton Meltzer, Piratica by Tanith Lee, Bloody Jack by Carolyn Meyer, Voyage of Plunder by Michele Torrey, and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Tags: adventure, buried treasure, families, mystery, novels in verse, pirates, single-parent families, sixties, summer, suspense, teens, Vietnam War
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Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
by Jordan Sonnenblick. p. 264 Grades 6-8
It’s tough being the new kid especially in January of the eighth grade. San Lee has moved around and changed schools a lot, and this time it’s because his dad has gone to prison for fraud. His mom’s short on money because of his dad’s legal fees, and even though it’s the middle of the winter in Pennsylvania, San heads off for his new middle school in sandals and the light windbreaker that were fine in Texas. Adopted from China as a baby, San is the only Asian American at his new school. When he discovers that his social studies class is studying Buddhism, which he studied last year, he pretends to be a Zen master. This deception wins him the attention of a beautiful girl but spins out of control in both serious and comical ways as more and more kids believe he’s the real thing.
Connections: Books where a new kid makes a big impact on the other students in a school are Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Gypsies Never Came by Stephen Roos, Schooled by Gordon Korman and, for mature readers, Jake Reinvented by Gordon Korman as well as Inventing Elliot by Graham Gardner. If you’d like to know more about Zen Buddhism, try browsing the 294.3 section of the library.
Tags: Chinese Americans, humor, love stories, middle school, multicultural, new kid, outsiders, romance, teens, Zen Buddhism
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Monday, July 20th, 2009
by Lauren Tarshis. p. 169 Grades 5-8
Emma-Jean Lazarus is different from the other seventh graders at William Gladstone Middle School. She’s super smart and super logical and finds the social interactions among her peers interesting but totally irrational. Yet she is drawn to use her super problem solving skills to help sweet, hypersensitive Colleen when Emma-Jean discovers her crying in the girls’ bathroom. Emma-Jean’s meddling not only leads to some hilarious situations but also to her beginning to make friends. In the sequel, Emma Jean Lazarus Fell in Love, Emma Jean develops a crush herself while trying to help Colleen discover the secret admirer who left a note in Colleen’s locker. If you enjoy quick, humourous reads about quirky characters, you’ll love Emma Jean Lazaus!
Connection: Other good novels with quirky characters include The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd, Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen, Susan Patron’s Higher Power of Lucky, Way Down Deep by Ruth White and the adult novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
Tags: friends, humor, interpersonal relations, love stories, middle school, outsiders, problem-solving, quirky characters, teens
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
by Gary Soto, p. 100 – Grades 6-9
Told from the point of view of both teen boys and girls, these poems capture the sweetness, heartache and confusion of young love. This meaty yet easy to read collection is divided into two sections: “A Girl’s Tears, Her Songs” and “A Boy’s Body, His Words.”
Consequence
When a stone bridge fails,
you can rebuild it with your hands.
With love, when it falls,
The rocks shoot sparks. Gossips
Gather at the river’s edge,
Skipping stones across the water,
Asking intently, “Who brought it down?”
Connection: For another book of poetry dealing with teenagers try Paul B. Janeczko’s Proposterous; Poems of Youth.
Tags: American, first loves, Gary Soto, love, poetry, teenagers, teens, Young adult poetry
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Monday, June 15th, 2009
By Neal Shusterman, p. 247 – Grades 6-9.
If you enjoyed meeting Antsy (Anthony Bonano) in the Schwa Was Here, you’ll love encountering him again in this humorous teen novel in which he gives Gunnar Umlaut a month of his life. When classmate Gunnar tells Antsy that he only has six months to live, Antsy draws up a contract giving Gunnar a month of his life, which earns him the attention and a kiss from Gunnar’s gorgeous older sister. Soon other kids and even the principal want to donate months of their lives to Gunnar. Time passes, and Gunnar isn’t showing symptoms. What’s up?
Connection: Other humorous novels where schemes get out of hand are The Schwa Was Here by Neal Schusterman, The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian, and Peeled by Joan Bauer.
Tags: coming of age, family problems, friends, friendship, high school, humor, Neal Shusterman, New York City, teens
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Sunday, May 31st, 2009
by Laurie Halse Anderson, p. 278 – Grades 8 & Up
This novel, for mature readers, tells the story of Lia who has just found out about the death of her once best friend, Cassie. While they were friends, both girls suffered from eating disorders: Lia- anorexia and Cassie- bulimia. On the night of Cassie’s death, Lia received 33 phone calls and messages from Cassie… all of which Lia had left unanswered. Lia’s family (too busy mother, distant father and clueless stepmother) are concerned that the news will send Lia over the edge again and back to New Seasons the rehabilitation center she has already visited twice.
Connection: For another story that shows a teen dealing with the death of another teen read Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why.
Tags: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, death, divorce, family problems, friendship, Laurie Halse Anderson, sad stories, teens, Young Adult
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Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
by Tonya Hurley, p.328 – Grades 7 & Up
It is the first day of her junior year and Charlotte is geared up to shift from ignored wallflower to part of the in-crowd. When she gets dream-guy Damen as her physics lab partner, she thinks that the stars have finally aligned. As they leave the classroom with Damen asking her to be his tutor, Charlotte chokes on a gummy bear and dies. Caught in the world between life and eternity, Charlotte and her new Dead Ed. classmates find out that they have some unfinished business before they can really move on.
Connection: For another book about high school and struggles with popularity try reading, She’s So Money by Cherry Cheva –CRW
Tags: death, fantasy, friendship, ghosts, high schools, popularity, teens, Tonya Hurley
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Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
by Michael Laser, p. 231 – Grades 7 & Up
Karl always gets straight A+s and is tired of being labeled a geek. He is offered the chance to join the “in” crowd when super-popular, Blaine asks him if he would like to join their high-tech organization of cheaters. He flatly refuses until the super-strict vice principal sets up harsh new anti-cheating consequences and makes an example of one of Karl’s childhood friend. Karl then sees joining the cheaters is his chance to be the hero.
Connection: For another book that deals with the issue of peer pressure, try reading Jake, Reinvented by Gordon Koman –CRW
Tags: cheating, high schools, high-tech, Michael Laser, peer pressure, teens
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Saturday, April 25th, 2009
by Craig Moodie, p.201 – Grades 6-9
Sixteen-year-old Luke would rather stay home and fish than go on the annual trip with his family on their small, cramped sailboat. Luke decides he has no choice but to go when his mother walks out out on them. The two decide to explore the Gulf Stream rather than sticking to the islands off the coast of Massachussetts and run into trouble when an unexpected storm blows in.
Connection: This quick read is a good choice for fans of Gordon Korman’s Dive, Everest & Island series. –CRW
Tags: adventure, Craig Moodie, family problems, fathers and sons, sailing, shipwrecks, survival, teens
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Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
by V.M. Jones, p. 264 – Grades 6-9
Thirteen-year-old Pip McLeod is tired of his father’s pacing, yelling and disappointment at his soccer games. He is tired of being compared to his super-athletic, older brother. He wishes that his best buddy, Katie, would start looking at him as something more than just a friend. The construction of a new sports facility in the neighborhood provides the walls for Pip to climb to reach his true potential and find himself. This import from New Zealand give a glimpse daily life in that distant land and is a good choice for readers looking for a different kind of sports book. –CRW
Tags: competition, fathers and sons, indoor rock climbing, self-realization, sports, teens, V.M. Jones
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Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
by Brian Meehl, p. 318 – Grades 7 & Up
After graduating from the IVLeague (International Vampire League), Morning McCobb gets the opportunity to be the hero he had always hoped to be… rather than just the skinny, awkward teen he will eternally be. The president of the IVLeague offered Morning the chance to be the first vampire to reveal himself to “lifers” (humans) in the hopes that humans and vampires can live together in harmony. Morning is thought to be the perfect canidate since he only drinks a soy-based blood substitute rather than the farmed animal blood that most Leaguer vampires drink. A potential love interest and an angry “loner” (non-league vampires that still drink human blood) make the challenge of convincing humans that vampires are friends even more difficult.
Connection: This book is a good choice for those interested a lighter version of Twilight, told from the vampires point of view. –CRW
Tags: Brian Meehl, heroes, identity, romance, teens, vampires
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