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Book Notes ArchiveCheck for these and other titles by your favorite authors in the library catalog.
~~ Titles featured 2006-2007 ~~
The
Audacity of Hope, by Barrack Obama “Illinois's Democratic senator illuminates the constraints of mainstream politics all too well in this sonorous manifesto. Obama castigates divisive partisanship and calls for a centrist politics based on broad American values. His own cautious liberalism is a model: he's skeptical of big government and of Republican tax cuts for the rich and Social Security privatization; he's pro-choice, but respectful of pro-lifers; supportive of religion, but not of imposing it … Obama writes insightfully, with vivid firsthand observations, about politics and the compromises forced on politicians by fund-raising, interest groups, the media and legislative horse-trading.” (From Publishers Weekly)
Sold,
by Patricia McCormick “As this heartbreaking story opens, 13-year-old
Lakshmi lives an ordinary life in Nepal, going to school and thinking of the boy
she is to marry. Then her gambling-addicted stepfather sells her into
prostitution in India. Refusing to be with men, she is beaten and starved until
she gives in. Written in free verse, the girl’s first-person narration is
horrifying and difficult to read … The spare, unadorned text matches the
barrenness of Lakshmi’s new life. … When an American comes to the brothel to
rescue girls, Lakshmi finally gets a sense of hope.” (From School Library
Journal)
“Vim Sweeney takes his place in the long list of fictional characters is search of themselves. His journey centers on Kalamazoo, MI, in the summer of 1992, after his high school graduation. He works as a dishwasher, plays in a band, lusts after his best friend's girl, and tries to figure out his relationships with those around him, including his father and stepfather … The dialogue is filled with bravado and expletives, which the characters use to mask their insecurities and uncertainty about their future, and even, perhaps more so, their present.” (From School Library Journal)
The
Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, by Barry Lyga “On good days, Fanboy is invisible to the students
at his high school. On bad ones, he's a target for bullying and violence. When a
classmate is cruel to him, Fanboy adds him to The List and moves on …
Reading comics and writing his own graphic novel are the only things that
keep him sane. He dreams of showing his work to a famous author at a comic-book
convention and being discovered as the next great graphic novelist. When Goth
Girl Kyra IMs him … he's skeptical. Why does she care what happens to him? He
learns, though, that she's as much an outsider as he is. The two form a
tentative friendship …” (From School Library Journal) Harlem
Hustle, by Janet McDonald “In this wonderful novel about the hip-hop
lifestyle, [McDonald] takes readers on a journey with Eric Hustle Samson, 17, in
his search for money and fame. Abandoned by his druggy parents, not in school,
on probation, taken in by a friend's family, and hustling for money by
shoplifting, the teen dreams of becoming a successful rapper known as Harlem
Hustle. True, he has talent, but what he doesn't have is a real sense of who he
is. What he does have, though, is a couple of friends and some other people who
care about him. The author nails the hip-hop lingo and the street slang, and her
characters strike just the right attitude.” (From School Library Journal) The
Braid, by Helen Frost “Teenage sisters Jeannie and Sarah are
separated when the Highland Clearances of the 1850s tear their family away from
the only home they've known. Jeannie sails to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, with
their parents and younger siblings to start a new life, while Sarah decides to
remain in Scotland with their grandmother. In an age when distance and
illiteracy prohibit communication, the girls remain connected solely by pieces
of a braid intertwined with one another's hair … the easy flow of the verse
and its emotional impact that will carry even reluctant readers into the
windswept landscape and the hardships and dreams of these two girls.” (From
School Library Journal)
Upstate,
by Kalisha Buckhanon “Baby, the first thing I need to know from you is do you believe I killed my father? So begins Upstate, a powerful story told through letters between two young, star-crossed lovers. Seventeen-year-old Antonio and sixteen-year-old Natasha face tragedy when Antonio finds himself in jail, accused of a shocking crime. While he fights to stay alive on the inside, Natasha must makes choices that could change her life forever. Over the course of a decade, they share a desperate correspondence. Despite being apart, they keep turning to each for support, advice, and love. All the while, they can only wonder if they will ever be reunited. Startling, real, and filled with raw emotion, Upstate is unforgettable ...” (Book Description)
The
Marryin’ Kind, by Nancy J. Parra “Madeline just isn't interested in getting married. She enjoys her freedom. But her kid sister is worried because their father mandated that the younger sisters can't be courted until Maddie is safely wed. Then, in a stroke of impish genius, their brother suggests that Maddie claim to be secretly engaged to Evan Montgomery, one of his friends who went off to fight in the Civil War, never to be heard from again. Maddie moves into Evan's abandoned cottage, and for two years, this works out just fine. Then Evan's brother, Trevor, comes home, and he is not so sure about Maddie ...” (From Booklist)
Rooftop,
by Paul Volponi “Clay, 17, a pot abuser, and his cousin
Addison, 18, a crack dealer, both attend Daytop, a day-treatment program in New
York City. At one time close, then separated by a family feud, the teens are now
working through their problems together. Their parents have just begun to put
their dispute behind them when Clay sees Addison shot by the police on the
rooftop of the projects where he lived and the incident becomes the focal point
of a campaign for racial justice … Delving into the psychological trauma of
Clay and the comparison of how he and Addison's younger brother deal with the
killing, the author gives readers a realistic look at individuals, family
dynamics, and moral dilemmas.” (From School Library Journal
Trigger,
by Susan Vaught “17-year-old Jersey Hatch returns home after a year in a brain-injury treatment center. Having no memory of the event, Jersey has been informed that he shot himself in the head. With no internal points of reference, he is compelled to confirm through those around him that he really pulled the trigger, and more importantly, to discover why. Plagued by numerous physical challenges, and struggling to think sequentially and to avoid inappropriate vocalization, this proves difficult. Worse yet, Jersey has returned to parents broken by his actions and to peers who despise him … ” (From Booklist)
The
Hoopster, by Alan Lawrence Sitomer “On
the neighborhood basketball court, Andre Anderson jockeys for position among his
multicultural group of buddies, but, off the court, the African-American teen's
writing talent puts him in the spotlight. Given the opportunity to write a
feature article on racism for the national magazine where he works as an intern,
he addresses his feelings honestly. As a result, he is brutally attacked by a
group of racists, hoping to silence his pen by symbolically crushing his hand in
a car door. The incident incites a gamut of responses among his friends, his
Latina girlfriend, and his family.” (From School Library Journal) Why
Pandas do Handstands: and other curious truths about animals, by
Augustus Brown “Many people are endlessly fascinated with
animals--their methods of communication, mating rituals, how they build their
homes and nurture (or not) their offspring. Augustus Brown panders to this near
obsession in this delightful book, offering snippets of information such as …
‘snakes indulge in heavy petting,’ and ‘an elephant's trunk contains
40,000 muscles.’ … Brown entertains while he educates his audience on such
subjects as animal intelligence, how animals live together in peace or wage war,
which animals use tools, and what species eats their siblings …” (From
Booklist)
Notes
from the Midnight Driver, by Jordan Sonnenblick “While his mother is out on a first date, 16-year-old Alex decides to get drunk, steal her car, and drive to his father's home, hoping to catch him romancing one of Alex's former teachers. His goal? Revenge. Reality? A damaged car, a decapitated gnome, a drunk driving charge, and community service. He is ordered to serve his 100 hours visiting Solomon Lewis, the meanest, crankiest resident at Egbert P. Johnson Memorial Home for the Aged. Alex discovers that Solomon is also witty, intelligent, and a fighter--an old man who has lived all the joys, sorrows, and regrets of a long life …" (From Booklist
Man
of My Dreams, by Curtis Sittenfeld “Sittenfeld's second novel is as sharply written as her first, Prep, which chronicled one girl's experiences at an elite private high school. Hannah Gavener, at age 14, is grappling with her mother's decision to stand up to her controlling father. The storyline follows Hannah through college and afterwards as she tries to find the kind of romance she believes she's looking for. Her glamorous, beautiful cousin, Fig, never seems to have trouble finding guys, and it is one of Fig's on-again, off-again boyfriends, Henry, who captivates Hannah and becomes her ideal … As is often the case in life, things don't work out quite according to plan …” (From Booklist) **Note: Prep is also available at the library!
Bitten
& Smitten, by Michelle Rowen “Blind dates can be bad, but Sarah Dearly's
date is a true contender for worst ever. His neck nibbling didn't just leave a
bruise; it turns her into a vampire, and the newest target for a pack of zealot
vampire hunters. With her date now their latest victim, Sarah runs for her
immortal life--straight into Thierry de Bennicoeur, a master vampire who is just
a wee bit suicidal. Thierry can't resist a damsel in distress and agrees to
teach Sarah how to live the vampire life if she'll help him end his own. But as
it turns out, Sarah may be his best reason for living …” (From Booklist)
The
Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop, by Saul Williams “Williams is not the first to take hip-hop diction and rhyme to the page and make beautiful stanzaic poetry [but] he creates, in this third book, a kind of "In Memorium" for hip-hop's redemptive promise, trying, as Tennyson did, to find light shining through the wreckage of hope. If this effort falls short of that great poem, the ambition behind it is not the less for it … The sly way in which the speaker simultaneously inhabits and repudiates male rap clichés and effects sonic sneak attacks (one hears ‘kill her’ in ‘killer’) gets worked out over 33 ‘chapters’ of anywhere from three to 10 stanzas, giving a fierce, assured tour of hip-hop history and contradiction." (From Publishers Weekly)
Music
for the People: Dave Matthews Band, by
Nevin Martell “Their albums enter the charts at #1. Fans follow them around the country, soaking up the incredible energy of their sold-out live concerts. From gigging at an Earth Day celebration and more frat parties than anyone can remember, Dave Matthews and his phenomenal band have electrified rock 'n' roll America. Now a music industry insider takes you to the heart of the Dave Matthews Band—their meteoric rise to superstardom and the most extensive listing ever published of their tours and smash recordings, including the bootlegs that the band encourages.” (Book Description)
“High-schooler Travis Shelton steals one too many marijuana plants from vicious tobacco-farmer-turned-drug-dealer Carlton Toomey and ends up caught in a bear trap, his foot so mangled he needs surgery. Travis' stern father kicks him out, and he ends up bunking at the rundown trailer of bookish Leonard Shuler, a low-level drug dealer and former schoolteacher who lost his job and his family because of false charges … Just as Leonard starts to get his own life in order and talks Travis into making plans for college, he becomes enmeshed in a confrontation with Toomey. Part melancholy historical novel and part high-voltage thriller …” (From Booklist)
Catch,
by Will Leitch “During the summer between his high school graduation and leaving for state college, Tim Temples works and drinks hard and discovers that he is not alone at the center of his own universe … Daytimes are spent working in a food packaging plant, hauling boxes, and noticing that his old high school friends are quickly fading into the old men who staff the plant year round. Only belatedly does Tim realize that he is different from most of his friends, most of his family, most of the town. He's leaving to be a college guy, in a world just down the highway but very far away in terms of prospects …” (From School Library Journal)
“Reason Cansino has spent her life with her unusual mother in the bush, moving frequently, keeping to herself, and learning how to guard against her bizarre grandmother, Esmeralda. When her mother goes insane and 15-year-old Reason is sent to live with Esmeralda, she starts to question all the stories her mother has told her. … When Reason digs up a dead cat in the cellar and finds the key to a locked (magic) door, she escapes her increasingly frightening grandmother only to find herself halfway around the world in New York City, weak, in danger … By turns a fantasy adventure and a thoughtful examination of relationships, this radiant gem stands alone, but expect readers to be impatient for the rest of the trilogy.” (From School Library Journal) *Note: Part II will be available soon!
Just
Ask: Diary of a Teenage Girl, by Melody Carlson “Kim, 16, struggles with religious questions and ultimately tries to live a Christian life while she writes a teen advice column for her dad's newspaper. Then, a family tragedy occurs and her faith is shaken. Kim is a realistic young woman trying to make sense of her world in the context of her religion. She makes mistakes and experiences the consequences of bad decisions, but, in the end, faith and friends pull her through. Though the theme is heavy, the writing is breezy and fun.” (From School Library Journal)
Search
and Destroy, by Dean Hughes ”Rick, a recent high school graduate, has no direction … After a fight with his father, he decides to join the army, realizing that he needs some discipline. He is selected to join the Special Forces and attend jump school in preparation for going to Vietnam. There, Rick is challenged by the heat, the smell of burning sewage, and jungle training … This is an involving story about the Vietnam War from the viewpoint of a young soldier. Hughes captures the danger, tension, pain, and small triumphs of the conflict … A well-written, realistic, and engrossing book. (From School Library Journal)
Cromartie
High School, by Eiji Nonaka “Tokyo's Cromartie High is famed for having the dregs of humanity as its students. Takashi's classmates spend an inordinate amount of time trying to discover which one of them is the strongest, and the teen has to use his wits to avoid being pummeled … In addition to the usual incorrigible students, there's also a gorilla, a robot, and a strong silent type who looks like a cross between Freddie Mercury and Deadwood's Al Swearengen … This is a witty, surreal, and entertaining read.” (From School Library Journal)
Kipling’s
Choice, by Geert Spillebeen “First published in Belgium, this fictionalized biography begins as Lt. John Kipling, age 18, lies dying in France in World War I. The narrative contrasts the gruesome details of his personal injuries and the slaughter around him with his glowing memory of how his beloved father, the world-famous writer, used his influence to get the authorities to overlook John's poor eyesight so that he could fight in a glorious adventure for the British Empire against ‘barbaric Huns’ … the power of this story is in the contrast between the war and the home front. [The] family story is heartfelt--the letters, the memories, and the loss.” (From Booklist)
Some
Fun, by Antonya Nelson “Nelson is a superb storyteller preternaturally attuned to the wildness in our hearts. She is particularly versed in the courage and recklessness of teenage girls, whose penchant for risk casts a blazing light on the pain and hypocrisy of adult life. Two girl renegades stand out with striking fierceness in Nelson's fifth fiction collection, a gathering of seven stunning short stories and a novella, all tales of fractured family life, trauma, and redemptive transformation.” (From Booklist)
Angels
of Death, by Julian Sher & William Marsden “Sher and Marsden reveal the worldwide crime cartel constituted by the Hell's Angels motorcycle club. Chronicling worldwide misdeeds and mayhem, they focus on how [head Angel Ralph ‘Sonny’] Barger personally directs a crime organization that has successfully represented itself as a bunch of hard-drinking mischief makers guilty only of loving freedom and hedonism too much. Telling tales of murder and revenge at the hands of chopper pilots in the Netherlands, Australia, the U.S., and elsewhere, they cite control of the drug trade as the root of a criminal empire that also embraces prostitution and sundry other interests. … Sher and Marsden bring readers up to speed with an ace true-crime saga.” (From Booklist)
Smartbomb:
The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution, by
Heather Chaplin & Aaron Ruby “This thorough history in eight essay-style chapters begins at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2001 with CliffyB, a 26-year-old who already had nine years of experience in the industry. The story goes back in time to MIT in the late '50s and the development of the first video game. Moving onward to the present, readers meet developers at Nintendo, the creators of Doom, the developers of the Sims series, and players of Massively Multiplayer Online games … This immensely readable book will have great appeal with gaming teens.” (From School Library Journal)
Twins,
by Marcy Dermansky “A beguiling story of the powerful ties between
identical twins, Dermansky's lively debut also takes on bulimia, lesbian
relationships, and the pressures of high-school academics and sports. In the
alternating voices of Chloe, who is four minutes older, taller, smarter, and
prettier, and Sue, who is always playing catch-up, Dermansky weaves the
ever-changing story of the twins' lives from eighth grade through high school
… With the ability to blend humor with these sometimes sad and lonely lives,
Dermansky has crafted a memorable novel.” (From Booklist)
My
So-called Digital Life, by Bob Pletka “Pletka, a director of technology for Southern California's Covina-Valley School District, organized a project with high-school students in his region: the students' charge was to capture, with words and images, their lives during a month at school. Grouped into categories, the powerful student essays and photos address the trip to and from school, learning and the ways students play after school. The intimate images reach far beyond the headlines and hype about teen trends and emphasize the enormous pressures students face… Equally affecting are the students' frank critiques of ‘dull, lifeless’ teaching methods and the joy they find in dynamic classrooms.” (From Booklist)
The
Prop, by Pete Hautman “Patty ‘Peeky’ Kane works as a ‘prop’ at an Arizona Indian casino, which means she fills out shorthanded poker games on behalf of management but plays—and wins—with her own stake. A cop's widow who was briefly on the force herself, Peeky is cruising into middle age when she notices a couple of dealers scamming jackpots. She keeps quiet, but then an insane posse of clowns steals a million bucks from the cage and kills several people in the process. Signs point to an inside job, and Peeky finds herself both under suspicion and roped into investigating the crime …” (From Booklist)
The
Geography of Girlhood, by Kirsten Smith “This novel in verse follows Penny as she
navigates the unpredictable and often harrowing waters of young adulthood, and
her episodic narration reverberates with authenticity. She is a sensitive girl
deeply affected by her mother's abandonment when she was six. Though many of the
hurdles that Penny encounters are representative of typical small-town teens,
she has an insight into other people and even into her own feelings that make
this a penetrating portrait of growing up female … The everyday pain of
adolescence rings true throughout this readable and honest story.” (School
Library Journal)
Hard
Hit, by Anna Turner “Mike, 16, has the perfect life–star baseball
player, cute girlfriend, and loyal best friend–until the phone call that turns
his life upside down. His father has pancreatic cancer. While his friends
continue to live their lives, time stands still for Mike. His dad suffers
through and begins the wasting away that cancer causes. A short period of
remission brings a brief period of celebration. In the end, however, Mike finds
that his bargains with God and his attempts to get along better with his sister
are all for naught … Teens who have experienced serious illness and/or death
in their family or with close friends will relate to Turners profound novel."
(School Library Journal)
Cell, by Stephen King “Witness Stephen King's triumphant,
blood-spattered return to the genre that made him famous … In
Cell King taps into readers fears of technological warfare and terrorism.
Mobile phones deliver the apocalypse to millions of unsuspecting humans by
wiping their brains of any humanity, leaving only aggressive and destructive
impulses behind. Those without cell phones, like illustrator Clayton Riddell and
his small band of 'normies,' must fight for survival; their journey to find
Clayton's estranged wife and young son rockets the book toward
resolution.” (Amazon.com)
Skin,
by Adrienne Maria Vrettos “Donnie, 14, has a dysfunctional family. His parents, completely ineffective, constantly rage at one another. His sister, Karen, 16, is anorexic and storms around screaming profanities and lying. Donnie is simply becoming invisible. The outcast at school, he suffers from ear infections and lays low, watching his sister starve herself … Readers know from the first page that Donnie finds Karen dead; his recounting of the preceding years is heartbreaking because of his sincere love for the sister who has been his keeper, and because of the anger and betrayal he feels during her physical and emotional descent …” (School Library Journal)
Inside
Delta Force, by Eric L. Haney “The first part of the book gives an overview of Haney’s military career and his association with the force and describes the red tape and planning that was required of those who wished to create a new, secret military unit that officially did not exist. It also includes a description of the physical challenges required of those who were chosen to participate in what was a preliminary round of qualification tests. Those who were successful in all the tests were then eligible to participate in the actual selection process. The second half of the text shows the sometimes brutal challenges the successful candidates were required to complete and details some of the actual training sessions …This is an excellent choice for students with military interests.” (School Library Journal)
The
Dark Side of the Moon: The Making of the Pink Floyd Masterpiece, by
John Harris “[An] account of the talented people behind an
enigmatic album that has sold so many copies (30 million) that, Harris notes,
one British magazine speculated it was ‘virtually impossible that a moment
went by without it being played somewhere on the planet.’ The author triumphs
at using research and interviews with the Pink Floyd members to bring to life
the dilemmas they faced while making the 1973 album, including the
incapacitating mental illness of original leader Syd Barrett and the arrival of
new member David Gilmour. Given Pink Floyd's dramatic, often challenging music
and its undeniable air of mystery, the book also excels in humanizing the
musicians through candid portrayals of their everyday highs and lows.” (Publishers
Weekly)
Manga:
Sixty Years of Japanese Comics, by Paul Gravett “Presents
an accessible, entertaining, and highly-illustrated introduction to the
development and diversity of Japanese comics from 1945 to the present. Featuring
striking graphics and extracts from a wide range of manga, the book covers such
themes as the specific attributes of manga in contrast to American and European
comics; the life and career of Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy and originator
of story manga; boys' comics from the 1960s to the present; the genres and
genders of girls' and women's comics; the darker, more realistic themes of
gekiga—violent samurai, disturbing horror and apocalyptic science fiction;
issues of censorship and protest; and manga's role as a major Japanese export
and global influence.” (Book Description)
Mixed:
My Life in Black and White, by Angela Nissel “ ’Are you black or white?’ That question has plagued Nissel, a light-skinned child born to a white father and black mother, since birth; she tackles it with honesty and aplomb in this witty memoir about the years she spent in West Philadelphia during the 1970s and '80s. Whether recalling an oral report on fellow ‘mulatto’ David Hasselhoff that she gave in the third grade (‘He's half black because my mother said he is!’) or the way she ‘act[ed] like a 'tard’ to escape bullies or her descent into depression (and stay at a psych ward) during her first year at U. Penn, Nissel—a former staff writer for the NBC sitcom Scrubs—infuses her coming-of-age tale with humor and pathos … Nissel's writing is very funny and very sharp.” (Publishers Weekly)
Crunch
Time, by Mariah Fredericks “After skipping out of an SAT prep class, juniors Leo, Daisy, Max, and Jane agree to meet regularly at Jane's apartment for their own study group. They all work hard, seem to improve their test-taking skills, and forge friendships in the process. Soon, Max reveals to best friend Daisy that he wants more than friendship from her. Daisy, however, falls hard for Leo, who appears to fall back but doesn't know how to be devoted in a relationship, especially when he is drinking. Jane is the rich, beautiful wallflower whom Max could ask out if the idea occurred to him. After the SAT, a senior high scorer confesses that she was paid to take the exam for someone else. The whole school is in an uproar as the senior refuses to disclose the cheater's name. When two members of the study group are among the suspects, things begin to unravel.” (School Library Journal)
Your
Eyes in Stars, by M. E. Kerr “In 1934, teenaged Jessie lives in a small
upstate New York town where her father is the warden in the state prison …
Jessie is pleasantly surprised when the daughter of the German professor who has
moved into the neighborhood makes direct appeals for friendship [but] their
friendship is interrupted when the Stadlers abruptly return to Germany …
Jessie and Elisa correspond during the next few years, their letters—as well
as those from their acquaintances—make up the latter portion of the novel.
Years later, in 1946, Jessie learns what really happened to Elisa. Kerr weaves
an authentic story in which characters can know only so much at any given moment
of their lives, and actually misunderstand much of what they think they know.”
(School Library Journal)
Gunstories:
Life-Changing Experiences with
Guns, by S. Beth Atkin “This book clearly shows the diversity of the American gun culture, contrasting, for example, Ohio 4-H clubs that train boys and girls to target shoot competitively with South Central L.A., where their urban counterparts too often find themselves in the front lines of gun violence. Some of the interviewees have been shot, others have seen the lives of strangers, friends, and family members devastated by shootings. Hunting accidents, unintentional shootings, and suicide are other aspects of the issue that are addressed. … This book should be useful for students involved in the debate about guns in our culture as well as for those with a general interest in the subject.” (School Library Journal
James
Dean, by George Perry “Marking the fiftieth anniversary of James Dean's death, a new book about the star who embodied the live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse ethos. Perry offers what is essentially a picture book with text, primarily devoted to Dean's film career. It includes a fine filmography and such other features as a time line, listing of stage and television appearances, and select bibliography, and because it was authorized by the actor's estate, contains many candid photos from the Dean family's private collection. Though it ventures precious little on messy topics, such as the young star's sexuality, its detailed rundown of the various romantic relationships simmering on the set of Rebel without a Cause is a definite asset. Truly wonderful illustration …” (Booklist)
Freeing
Keiko, by Kenneth Brower “After he starred in director
Richard Donner’s hit film Free Willy in 1993, Keiko gained
international celebrity as the most famous marine mammal in the world … With
the help of a dedicated team of environmentalists led by the Earth Island
Institute and $7.5 million from the deep pockets of eccentric cellular-phone
billionaire … he ultimately would return to his native Iceland where a team of
keepers would attempt to release him, making the cinematic story that had
captivated the world’s children a reality. Award-winning environmental writer Kenneth Brower has created a narrative
that is by turns heartrending and exhilarating …” (Book
Description) Tabula
Rasa, by Shelly Reuben “Meredith Marmalade Bly lives a charmed life in
upstate New York with her doting parents until a school project requires her to
research her family tree. Suddenly, Annie and Sebastian Bly and her Uncle Billy,
a New York City firefighter, are thrown into a perilous situation where they
must lie to protect her. As an infant, she was found by Billy in the charred
ruins of a house fire that killed her brother and sister … Unwilling to wreak
further emotional havoc on Meredith's life, the three adults decide to create a
name and a past for the girl's mother …This exciting suspense story [will]
grab teens from its intriguing beginning and keep them reading …” (School
Library Journal) “Three girls succumb to the charms of one sexy high school senior and emerge wiser for the experience … Josie is a self-assured freshman who values her girlfriends over boys until a hot jock focuses his attention on her and her simmering hormones break into a full boil … Next, readers meet Nicolette, a junior who sees her sexuality as power. She's caught by surprise at her own reaction when this popular boy takes notice of her … Finally, Aviva, a pretty, smart, artsy, and funny senior, is stunned when the jock seems to want her. She gives up her virginity, only to be disappointed in both the sex and the boy … Free verse gives the stories a breathless, natural flow and changes tone with each narrator.” (School Library Journal) From
Pieces to Weight, by 50 Cent “The rap superstar known as 50 Cent was born
Curtis James Jackson III in 1976. His mother, a smalltime drug dealer, was
murdered when he was eight, but that didn't stop him from pursuing her
profession. 50 Cent is unflinchingly honest about his mother, his drug past and
just about everything else in this raw, literate memoir chronicling his rise
from Jamaica, Queens, to the top of the Billboard charts … Opinionated,
unrepentant and unabashedly self-promoting, 50 Cent's memoir celebrates the
rapper's peculiar brand of the American Dream (and the title of his breakthrough
album): Get Rich or Die Tryin'.” (Publishers Weekly) Freaks:
Alive on the Inside, by Annette Curtis Klause “Abel, 17, is the normal son of a legless father and an armless mother. He lives with other oddities in a midget village where they put on shows. He is restless and wants his own life. His romantic experiences have been limited to kissing the hairy Dog-Faced Girl. He runs away and joins a traveling circus, unaware that Apollo, 12, the hairy Puppy Boy, has followed him … Set in 1899, this gripping and sensual tale is a fascinating mixture of fantasy and reality.” (School Library Journal)
Stuart:
A Life Backwards, by Alexander Masters “The British antihero of this moving biography
started with teenage glue-sniffing, petty thievery and gang brawls, then
graduated to heroin and major thievery … finally emerging into triumphant
semistability as an ‘ex-homeless, ex-junkie psychopath’ with only occasional
episodes of violence and suicidal impulses. Masters, an advocate for the
homeless, befriended Stuart and found him at times obnoxious and repellent, but
also funny and honest ... By eschewing easy answers (the easy answers—don't
drink, don't use, don't steal, don't play with knives—are precisely the
hardest for Stuart), [Masters] accords full humanity to Stuart's stumbling
efforts to grapple with his demons. Hilarious and clear-eyed, the author's
superbly drawn portrait of Stuart is unforgettable …” (Publishers Weekly)
High
School’s Not Forever, by
Jane Bluestein and Eric D. Katz ”Many teens find their high school years to be
trying, angst ridden, and downright rotten. Culled from the responses of some
2000 high and post-high school students, this title gives voice to young people
who have lived through the experience and who offer both affirming and
cautionary tales as they attempted to navigate the uncertain seas of friendship,
depression, academic achievement, drugs, and sexuality. Of all the observations
contained in this unusual book, there has to be at least one that will resonate
with readers. No one commentary is more than a page. In addition, there are
advice sections and an entire listing of organizations that can provide help
with problems.” (School Library Journal) “19-year-old Cal, a Texas transplant, lost his
virginity–and a lot more–when he first arrived in New York City. He became a
parasite-positive, or peep … Now he works for the Night Watch, a secret branch
of city government dedicated to tracking others of his kind. Unlike the rare
natural carriers like Cal, who has acquired night vision, superhuman strength,
and a craving for lots of protein, most peeps are insane cannibals lurking in
darkness. But now the teen has found the young woman who infected him–and
learns that something worse than peeps is threatening the city, and he is on the
front lines ... An innovative and original vampire story …” (School
Library Journal) Nailed,
by Patrick Jones “Bret does most things the hard way, according
to his father, and the teen is sure his dad hates him. He's more interested in
acting than sports and covers his long green-tinted hair with a fedora. It takes
Bret most of his junior year to understand what his dad always told him: the
nail that sticks out the farthest gets hammered hardest as he struggles to deal
with the jockarchy at school and their constant taunts (mostly being called a
faggot or a homo because he's a born artist) … Issues of free speech,
conformity, and the power of the in-crowd all surround Bret as he begins to buck
the school's establishment and to stand up for himself …” (School Library
Journal)
Crackback,
by John Coy “Miles is a likable and talented player who
tries to please everyone: coaches, his father, his teachers, and the girl he is
interested in. Regardless of his efforts or his talents, he can't seem to
satisfy his coach and winds up on the bench where he meets, and likes, the
second-string players who have lives outside of football–something that has
never occurred to Miles or his father … Through his struggles with his coach
and his dad, he begins to learn that life is complicated and that answers don't
always come in the form of X's and O's … well-rounded characters [and] some
great football action.” (School
Library Journal) Chicken
Soup for the Teenage Soul: The
Real Deal — School “This isn't a lessons book or straight-talk from adults, but teen-friendly conversation about important topics like gossip, bad haircuts, getting cut from the team, and the pain of breaking up (even if you've only been together two weeks) … From taking tests to dealing with cliques, from teachers to crushes and all the other relationships teens have to deal with on a daily basis, teens will see themselves (and their friends and enemies) in this honest and fun book.” (Book Description)
Christ
the Lord, by Anne Rice “Rice leaves the gothic behind and explores the mysteries beneath the childhood of Jesus … Although the historical and cultural details are authentic and well done, it is the character of Jesus that drives this novel. He feels like a typical seven-year-old, but he's also suddenly discovering abilities that no one else possesses. He brings clay birds to life, makes snow fall, and even resurrects a dead playmate. Stunned by these odd happenings, he turns to Joseph and Mary for answers. When they are not forthcoming, he's forced to hunt out clues through local legends, rumors, and a strange spirit that taunts him in his dreams … This new direction for Rice is bound to please fans and newcomers alike.” (School Library Journal)
Puppetry:
A World History, by Eileen Blumenthal “In its long history, puppetry has played many parts. It has taken central roles in shamanic rites and been vilified by medieval churchmen as devilry, romanticized as a repository of folk wisdom, infantilized as a mere adjunct to children's theater, and valorized by visionaries [as] a superior, potentially more expressive form of theater. Today some puppets, most notably Jim Henson's Muppets, are so popular that they are no longer recognized as mere puppets. Meanwhile, on Broadway, one of the most elaborate and expensive puppet shows ever fabricated, The Lion King, has been filling the house since 1997 … [A] rich, exhaustively researched, lavishly illustrated history spanning from prehistory to the present.” (Booklist)
Heat,
by Mike Lupica “When Michael Arroyo is on the baseball diamond, everything feels right. He's a terrific pitcher who dreams of leading his South Bronx All-Stars to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. It's a dream he shared with his father, one they brought with them as they fled Cuba … [but] Papi died of a heart attack, leaving Michael and his older brother, Carlos, to struggle along on their own … Lupica crafts an involving, fast-paced novel peopled with strong, well-developed characters. Readers will find themselves rooting for Michael as he struggles with the loss of his father, stumbles into his first boy-girl relationship, and yearns to play baseball. The sports scenes are especially well written…” (School Library Journal)
Ready
or Not, by Meg Cabot “Samantha Madison is back. She is still a semi-celebrity for saving the president's life and she is still dating his son. She is faced with a huge dilemma when it appears that she not only condemns the president's new Return to Family policy, but also implies that she has slept with David. The ensuing consequences and Samantha's conflicted feelings about sex provide drama. A subplot involves Lucy, Samantha's older sister, falling for her nerdy math tutor, who does not return her feelings … The characters are real, witty, and relatable, and the author has an ear for teen dialogue … [the] book is funny, smart, well paced, and honest.” (School Library Journal)
Defining
Dulcie, by Paul Acampora “Strong and quirky characters who see life as an inextricable mix of sadness and humor, sorrow and hope, are the hallmark of this memorable first novel. When 16-year-old Dulcie's beloved dad dies, she and her mom leave her granddad in Connecticut and drive to California to start over. This doesn't work for the still-grieving Dulcie so she takes their truck and drives home to pick up the pieces of her old life and remember her father in all the old places. Her road trip and memories of it, along with events that occur once she arrives home, provide the figurative journey that begins her healing. Rather than being a sad or solemn read, however, the treatment is unexpectedly offbeat and, at times, wonderfully funny.” (School Library Journal)
Solstice
Wood, by Patricia McKillip “When Sylvia Lynn’s beloved grandfather dies, she must go to Lynn Hall, the huge, old house that has been the Lynn family's center for generations, and to the frightening, tantalizing wood behind it. Returning, she is surprised when Gram invites her to attend the Fiber Guild, a sewing circle that's been around forever … True shock comes when she learns that the circle is a coven of witches working spells with their knitting and needlework that protect Lynn Hall and the town from the ancient powers of the forest and the evil Fay, and that the spells are unraveling faster than the witches can weave, and paths between worlds are reopening … McKillip dazzles with this lovely tale of fairy and human worlds meeting and melding.” (Booklist)
Copper
Sun, by Sharon Draper “Amari is a 15-year-old Ashanti girl who is happily anticipating her marriage to Besa. Then, slavers arrive in her village, slaughter her family, and shatter her world. Shackled, frightened, and despondent, she is led to the Cape Coast where she is branded and forced onto a boat of death for the infamous Middle Passage to the Carolinas. There, Percival Derby buys her as a gift for his son's 16th birthday. Trust and friendship develop between Amari and Polly, a white indentured servant, and when their mistress gives birth to a black baby, the teens try to cover up Mrs. Derby's transgression. However, Mr. Derby's brutal fury spurs them to escape … [An] action-packed, multifaceted, character-rich story …” (School Library Journal)
Endgame,
by Nancy Garden “15-year-old Gray Wilton is in juvenile detention, waiting for his murder trial. In a series of interviews, his defense lawyer slowly uncovers the gradual escalation of physical and emotional bullying that drove the sensitive, musically artistic kid to the point where he takes a gun to school and starts shooting … Gray begins a new school year in a new town, hoping that the bullying he suffered in middle school will be a thing of the past [but] he discovers that there are bullies at Greenford High, and they don't take long to find him … Constant hazing turns into ugly incidents of physical violence … The ending provides an emotional punch that is difficult to forget.” (School Library Journal)
Thin
Ice, by Mark Bowen “This book will appeal to mountaineering and climatology buffs, but should be read by everyone concerned about the future of our planet … Bowen frames his story with the exploits of Lonnie Thompson, a professor at Ohio State who pioneered the study of glaciers near the equator. Thompson challenged and eventually changed accepted beliefs on how climate change occurs with his revolutionary lightweight-coring techniques that draw ice cores from glaciers in South America, on the China-Tibet border and elsewhere. Bowen explains how carbon dioxide and water vapor interact to regulate our planet's thermostat and argues that scientific evidence conclusively shows that use of fossil fuels has accelerated global warming; in our lifetimes, he predicts, the snows of Kilimanjaro will be no more.” (Publishers Weekly)
Eagle
Blue, by Michael D’Orso “Eight
miles above the Arctic Circle, there's a village with no roads leading
to it, but a high school basketball tradition that lights up winter's
darkness and a team of native Alaskan boys who know ‘no quit.’
D'Orso follows the Fort Yukon Eagles through their 2005 season to the
state championship, shifting between a mesmerizing narrative and the
thoughts of the players, their coach and their fans. What emerges is
more than a sports story; it's a striking portrait of a community
consisting of a traditional culture bombarded with modernity, where
alcoholism, domestic violence and school dropout rates run wild … With
a ghostlike presence, D'Orso lends a voice to a place that deserves to
be known.” (Publishers Weekly)
On
This Day, by Melody Carson “The
‘day’ is given over to a posh resort wedding. Events play out
through the eyes of various observers: a family friend, the bride's
aunt, the bridesmaid, the bride's grandmother, and the bride's sister.
None of these women is entirely secure in her marriage. One is a new
mother, weary to her soul; another has financial troubles and is
resentful of the wedding's extravagance; another is a snob; and yet
another is dealing with her husband's affair. Although the women will
appeal mainly to female readers, they all seem quite real, and any story
by Carlson is worth encountering.” (Booklist)
~~ Titles featured 2005-2006 ~~
Truth
and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code, by Bart D. Ehrman
After
Summer, by Nick Earls
The
Naming, by Alison Croggon
Gone
Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage, by Heather Rogers Sandpiper,
by Ellen Wittlinger Not
the End of the World, by Geralding McCaughrean
Bird,
by Angela John
Johnny
Hazzard, by Eddie de Oliveira
Crossing
Jordan, by Adrian Fogelin
Arena,
by Karen Hancock
Cartoon Guide to Chemistry, by Larry Gonick & Craig Criddle: “A refreshingly humorous but thorough ancillary guide to general chemistry from the author of the bestselling 'The Cartoon Guide to Physics' and 'The Cartoon Guide to Genetics'.” (Publisher)
A Most Damnable Invention: Dynamite, Nitrates, and the Making of the Modern World, by Stephen R. Bown: “Bown's knowledge of his subject is impressive, and he has interesting things to say about the science and scientists central to the development of explosives; the role these explosives played in Japan, China and India; and positive changes facilitated by the use of high explosives in mining and construction. Bown also has a good eye for the unintended consequences, ironies and contradictions that are the product of social and technological forces of great magnitude. That Alfred Nobel used the proceeds of his vast munitions fortune to fund the Nobel Prizes is perhaps the ultimate example.” (Publishers Weekly)
Upstream,
by Melissa Lion
Inexcusable,
by Chris Lynch
A
Gathering of Shades, by David Stahler
Day
of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue, by Julius Lester
Bradbury
Speaks, by Ray Bradbury
Mystic
and Rider, by Sharon Shinn
Black
and White, by Paul Volponi
Thunder
Run, by David Zucchino
Sleeping
Freshmen Never Lie, by David Lubar
Heavy
Metal and You, by Christopher Krovatin
Jason
& Kyra, by Dana Davidson
Stop
That Girl: A Novel in Stories, by Elizabeth McKenzie
Dark
Angel, by David Klass
In the Shadow of Edgar Allen Poe, by Jonathan Scott Fuqua, Stephen John Phillips and Steven Parke (GRAPHIC): “When a journal purported to be written by Edgar Allan Poe falls into the hands of Poe scholar Sterling Tuttle, the voice of the long-dead author reaches out from beyond the grave to give a chilling account of his tortured life. Haunted by the ghosts of his tragic past and the burden of relentless alcoholism, Poe soon finds that his creativity may depend on actual demons who have an unsavory agenda of their own...“ (Book Description)
Hanging
out with the Dream King, by Joseph McCabe
Frek and the Elixir, by Rudy Rucker: “Frek's pretty much an ordinary kid on an Earth with a collapsed biosphere controlled by NuBioCom. Then he receives a message that the Anvil, an alien's ship, is coming for him … Frek and Wow, his dog, run away, and then Frek is taken aboard and away on the Anvil, traveling the galaxy with the alien, who wants exclusive rights to humanity's "branecast" … Of course, branecasting is far more sinister than mere observation, for it allows a viewer to manipulate those who are branecast.” (Booklist)
Burned
Alive, by Souad:
“Souad was a 17-year-old girl living in a small village in
Jordan. With a childhood marked by hard labor and physical abuse, Souad
is desperate to leave home. Enticed into a relationship with a handsome
neighbor, her short-lived romance leaves her pregnant. Forbidden to
marry until her older sisters find husbands and having brought shame to
her family, Souad faces the only acceptable punishment: death. How her
family plots to kill her, her harrowing struggle to survive burns over
90% of her body after her brother-in-law douses her with gasoline and
sets her on fire, her dramatic escape from Jordan, and her resolve to
build a new life for herself is a tale of heartbreaking drama and
remarkable courage.” (Book Description)
Wish
You Were Here: The Official Biography of Douglass Adams, by Nick Webb
Velocity,
by Dean Koontz:
“A
diabolic killer plays a harrowing game of cat and mouse with a reclusive
bartender in Koontz's latest gripping suspense thriller. Billy Wiles, a
30-something bartender and former writer, is content with his solitary
Napa County existence … but the simple life gets mighty complicated
when he finds a note with a deadly, time-sensitive ultimatum: he must
choose between the death of a young schoolteacher or an elderly
humanitarian in six hours. … Graphic, fast-paced action,
well-developed characters and relentless, nail-biting scenes show Koontz
at the top of his game." (Publishers Weekly)
Guinea
Pig Scientists, by Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring: ”An easy
and interestin
Savage
Pastimes, by Harold Schechter
It’s
Not About The Bra, by Brandi Chastain
Willoughby
Spit Wonder, by Jonathon Scott Fuqua
Going
Going, by Naomi Shahib Nye
Siberia,
by Anne Halam
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