Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Judging books by their covers
I love book covers. Sometimes I just have to read a book because of the cover art. Other times I am really saddened when a book doesn't live up to the lovely cover. And yet other times, I've put off reading a book for weeks or months just because the cover doesn't draw me in.
If you feel the same way, you can read all about the cover art of new YA books, and the reactions of their authors, at Melissa Walker's blog.
Would you like me to discuss book cover art here? Is it something that interests you? Let me know!
If you feel the same way, you can read all about the cover art of new YA books, and the reactions of their authors, at Melissa Walker's blog.
Would you like me to discuss book cover art here? Is it something that interests you? Let me know!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Recent returns
Glass by Ellen Hopkins - sequel to the novel Crank, this hard-hitting story follows Kristina as she struggles to overcome her addiction and raise her newborn baby. But managing both proves impossible, and things are soon worse than ever. Told in verse, this is a very powerful, sad, but possibly hopeful story of abuse, loss, and love. Book; 3 copies have circed 78 times.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman - The novel that the movie was based on, this tells the adventures of young Coraline after her family moves to a new flat in an old house out in the country. She finds a mysterious locked door, meets peculiar neighbors, and befriends a very unusual cat. And then things get very very odd indeed, and Coraline must defeat a nightmarish evil to save her family. Book; 2 copies, 11 circs. Graphic Novel; 34 circs; Sound Recording; 7 circs; Movie; 274 (the book is much better!)...
The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade - Book one of the series by the same name - audiobook read by Jayne Entwistle - Modo's life begins in freak show, until he is rescued by the mysterious Mr. Socrates and raised to be a secret agent for the Permanent Association. His first investigation is into the disappearance of street children in London, where he soon discovers a villainous plot against the government. This high action steampunk thriller involves shape-changers, mad scientists, revolution, and other exciting mysteries. Sound Recording; 4 circs. Book, 1 circ.
Breathless by Jessica Warman - Katie's whole life is uprooted when she is sent to boarding school to get her away from the trouble caused by her brother's growing mental illness. But she tells all the other teens that her brother has died, instead. And when her lies catch up with her, Katie will find out who her true friends are. A school story with real meat - you'll love Katie, her room-mate Mazzie, her maybe boyfriend Drew, and her worst enemy, beautiful Estelle. They're all very believable, and so is what happens. Book; 11 circs.
Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: the Power of Negative Thinking, vols 1 and 2 by Koji Kumeta - this OLDER TEEN manga is about a melancholy high school teacher in Japan. In volume 1 we meet Nozomu and his students, each odder than the last, and learn how they deal with life. In volume 2 Nozomu's family have decided it is time he marry; will he manage not to commit suicide and avoid marriage at the same time? This series is very funny in a satirical, twisted kind of way. Vol 1; 16 circs. Vol 2; 2 circs.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman - The novel that the movie was based on, this tells the adventures of young Coraline after her family moves to a new flat in an old house out in the country. She finds a mysterious locked door, meets peculiar neighbors, and befriends a very unusual cat. And then things get very very odd indeed, and Coraline must defeat a nightmarish evil to save her family. Book; 2 copies, 11 circs. Graphic Novel; 34 circs; Sound Recording; 7 circs; Movie; 274 (the book is much better!)...
The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade - Book one of the series by the same name - audiobook read by Jayne Entwistle - Modo's life begins in freak show, until he is rescued by the mysterious Mr. Socrates and raised to be a secret agent for the Permanent Association. His first investigation is into the disappearance of street children in London, where he soon discovers a villainous plot against the government. This high action steampunk thriller involves shape-changers, mad scientists, revolution, and other exciting mysteries. Sound Recording; 4 circs. Book, 1 circ.
Breathless by Jessica Warman - Katie's whole life is uprooted when she is sent to boarding school to get her away from the trouble caused by her brother's growing mental illness. But she tells all the other teens that her brother has died, instead. And when her lies catch up with her, Katie will find out who her true friends are. A school story with real meat - you'll love Katie, her room-mate Mazzie, her maybe boyfriend Drew, and her worst enemy, beautiful Estelle. They're all very believable, and so is what happens. Book; 11 circs.
Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: the Power of Negative Thinking, vols 1 and 2 by Koji Kumeta - this OLDER TEEN manga is about a melancholy high school teacher in Japan. In volume 1 we meet Nozomu and his students, each odder than the last, and learn how they deal with life. In volume 2 Nozomu's family have decided it is time he marry; will he manage not to commit suicide and avoid marriage at the same time? This series is very funny in a satirical, twisted kind of way. Vol 1; 16 circs. Vol 2; 2 circs.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Best of List ... with sample chapters!
Wow, I love Best of Lists... and here's a great one, with links to sample chapters of each and every YA novel included. (Note: this is not a blog I read regularly, so I'm not sure it is always teen friendly, so be sure to use your discretion!).
And here's something else I just discovered: a website called Figment. It's a literary site for teens; you can share your writing, what you're reading, or anything else bookish you want to discuss...
And here's something else I just discovered: a website called Figment. It's a literary site for teens; you can share your writing, what you're reading, or anything else bookish you want to discuss...
Book Reviews
I just read two YA novels that I'd like to discuss. The first was The Princess and the Snowbird by Mette Harrison. Technically this is a sequel to her earlier novels The Princess and the Bear & The Princess and the Hound, but you don't have to have read them to understand and enjoy this fairy-tale-like novel. Liva and Jens, two very different young people, find each other in the deep forest, and share an instant bond. Liva has met very few people before now, as she was raised in a cave by her magical parents, who have taken the forms of a bear and a hound. Jens has no magic, and is almost an outcast in his own village. Together, they set out to restore magic to their world, and avenge a terrible wrong. The story is short and swift, but packs some real emotional punch. If you enjoy fairy tales, magic and a touch of sweet romance with a lot of action and adventure, you'll love this story.
Girl, Stolen by April Henry, is a very different story. Cheyenne is sleeping in her stepmother's car outside a pharmacy, when Griffin, a teen from a bad background, steals the car. Cheyenne's problem is that she's blind; Griffin's is that he dares not let her go for fear that he'll be caught in her stolen vehicle. So he kidnaps her, almost by accident. This leads to a very dangerous, almost explosive series of events involving them both. Griffin discovers things about his father and mother, while Cheyenne discovers how far she can push herself, even without vision. Will they each survive? Read this adventure story to find out...
It is interesting to see what these stories have in common, though they seem quite different. Both involve young women in unusual situations, with loving parents who have done their best to protect them, and young men with troubled family relationships, who are not sure what to do with themselves or how to avoid trouble. In both situations, the young people find themselves in challenging, dangerous situations, and come to rely on each other in some fashion. In each, they must learn to take risks, compromise and put their faith in fragile relationships. And in both cases, the teens grow and accomplish more than they believed they could dare. Have you read either of these stories? Do they remind you of other books you've read?
Girl, Stolen by April Henry, is a very different story. Cheyenne is sleeping in her stepmother's car outside a pharmacy, when Griffin, a teen from a bad background, steals the car. Cheyenne's problem is that she's blind; Griffin's is that he dares not let her go for fear that he'll be caught in her stolen vehicle. So he kidnaps her, almost by accident. This leads to a very dangerous, almost explosive series of events involving them both. Griffin discovers things about his father and mother, while Cheyenne discovers how far she can push herself, even without vision. Will they each survive? Read this adventure story to find out...
It is interesting to see what these stories have in common, though they seem quite different. Both involve young women in unusual situations, with loving parents who have done their best to protect them, and young men with troubled family relationships, who are not sure what to do with themselves or how to avoid trouble. In both situations, the young people find themselves in challenging, dangerous situations, and come to rely on each other in some fashion. In each, they must learn to take risks, compromise and put their faith in fragile relationships. And in both cases, the teens grow and accomplish more than they believed they could dare. Have you read either of these stories? Do they remind you of other books you've read?
Friday, December 3, 2010
New Books
Nonfiction:
Unbound and Unbroken: the story of Frederick Douglass by Amos Esty --
Traces the life and historical impact of the noted abolitionist, detailing his birth into slavery and harsh upbringing, his subsequent escape, and his emergence as a leader.
Fiction:
Maxine Banks is Getting Married by Laurie Aurelia Williams -- When seventeen-year-old Maxine's best friend gets married, Maxine suddenly decides that she and her boyfriend Brian should, too, but things do not turn out the way she expected, and both she and Brian realize that they are not as grown up as they thought.
Sellout by Ebony Wilkins -- NaTasha loves her life of affluence in Park Adams, but her grandmother fears she has lost touch with her roots and whisks her off to Harlem, where NaTasha meets rough, street-wise girls at a crisis center and finds the courage to hold her own against them.
Half Upon a Time by James Riley -- In the village of Giant's Hand, Jack's grandfather has been pushing him to find a princess and get married, so when a young lady falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says "Punk Princess," and she tells Jack that her grandmother, who looks suspiciously like the long-missing Snow White, has been kidnapped, Jack decides to help her.
Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde -- Presents eight twists on the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, exploring such issues as why most characters seem dim-witted and what, exactly, is the theme.
The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block -- When she was thirteen, something terrifying and mysterious happened to Liv that she still does not understand, and now, four years later, her dark secret threatens to tear her apart from her family and her true love.
Crusade by Nancy Holder -- An international team of six teenaged vampire hunters, trained in Salamanca, Spain, goes to New Orleans seeking to rescue team-member Jenn's younger sister as the vampires escalate their efforts to take over the Earth.
Wicked: a Pretty Little Liars Novel by Sara Shepard -- The stalker's identity has finally been revealed but high school juniors Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Aria seem condemned to repeat the past as they resume their unrepentant ways.
Killer: a Pretty Little Liars Novel by Sara Shepard -- Former best friends Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer continue to live in fear as they struggle to keep hidden even more secrets and someone new begins stalking them via their cell phones.
Heartless by Sara Shepard -- After high school juniors Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Aria think they have seen Ali, their missing and presumed dead friend, they pursue clues from a mysterious stalker, trying to find out if she is still alive.
Wanted by Sara Shepard -- In this final volume, former best friends Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily, who lost their best friend and leader, Alison, years ago when she disappeared, find themselves in grave danger when they pursue the truth about Alison.
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness -- As a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions, questioning all they have ever known as they try to step back from the darkness and find the best way to achieve peace.
Fear: 13 stories of Suspense and Horror by R.L. Stine -- In 13 blood-chilling stories from such masters of suspense as R.L. Stine, Meg Cabot, Heather Graham, and Suzanne Weyn, nothing is what it seems, and no one is safe.
Zen and Xander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan -- Two teenaged sisters try to come to terms with the death of their mother in very different ways.
Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber -- In Missouri in 1926, fifteen-year-old Iris Baldwin discovers what family truly means when her father hires her out for the summer as a companion to a country doctor's invalid mother.
My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours by Kristina Springer -- When her best friend Sea returns from her summer vacation claiming to have a boyfriend, twelve-year-old Tori is sure she is lying and makes up her own boyfriend, who just so happens to do everything better than Sea's boyfriend.
Ninth Ward by Jewel Parker Rhodes -- In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have no choice but to stay and weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina bears down upon them.
Lighter Side of Life and Death by C. K. Kelly Martin -- After the last, triumphant night of the school play, fifteen-year-old Mason loses his virginity to his good friend and secret crush, Kat Medina, which leads to enormous complications at school just as his home life is thrown into turmoil by his father's marriage to a woman with two children.
The Secret to Lying by Todd Mitchell -- Fifteen-year-old James lies about himself to be considered "cool" when he gets into an exclusive boarding school, but soon unnaturally vivid dreams of being a demon-hunting warrior lead to self-destructive acts while he is awake.
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L. A. Meyer -- bk. 8 of Bloody Jack -- Now rich, Jacky Faber has purchased the Lorelei Lee to carry passengers across the Atlantic, and believing she has been absolved of past sins against the Crown, she docks in London, where she is arrested and sentenced to life in the newly formed penal colony in Australia.
The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye by Bonnie Shimko -- Growing up in a small town in upstate New York during the 1960s, a young girl, unwanted by her mother, searches for love and acceptance.
You by Charles Benoit -- Fifteen-year-old Kyle discovers the shattering ramifications of the decisions he makes, and does not make, about school, the girl he likes, and his future.
Bullet Point by Peter Abrahams -- The only thing seventeen-year-old Wyatt knew about his biological father was that he was serving a life sentence, but circumstances and a new girlfriend bring them together, and soon Wyatt is working to prove his father's innocence.
Time Riders, Book 1 by Alex Scarrow -- Rescued from imminent death, teens Maddy, Liam, and Sal join forces in 2001 Manhattan to correct changes in history made by other time travelers, using a "time bubble" surrounding the attack on the Twin Towers to hide their journeys.
Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman -- Emily, whose father is headmaster of a Connecticut boarding school, suffers from nightmares, and when she meets and falls in love with the handsome Del Sugar, pieces of her traumatic past start falling into place.
Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley -- Fourteen-year-old Livvie Owen, who has autism, and her family have been forced to move frequently because of her outbursts, but when they face eviction again, Livvie is convinced she has a way to get back to a house where they were all happy, once.
Home is Beyond the Mountains by Celia Barker Lottridge -- Samira is only nine years old when the Turkish army invades northwestern Persia in 1918, driving her family from its tiny village. They flee into the mountains, but the journey is so difficult that only Samira and her older brother survive. Will she and the other children ever see their villages again?
Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke -- Clementine thinks her cousin Fan is everything that she could never be: beautiful, imaginative, wild. The girls promise to be best friends and sisters after the summer is over, but Clementine's life in the city is different from Fan's life in dusty Lake Conapaira. And Fan is looking for something, though neither she nor Clementine understands what it is.
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein -- A scrappy alley cat named Aldwyn passes himself off as a magical animal companion to Jack, a young wizard in training, but must convince his fellow "familiars" that he is authentic.
Hush by Eishes Chayil -- After remembering the cause of her best friend Devory's suicide at age nine, Gittel is determined to raise awareness of sexual abuse in her Borough Park, New York, community, despite the rules of Chassidim that require her to be silent.
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin -- Seventeen-year-old Avery can remember nothing to explain her parents' violent death in the woods where they live, but after meeting Ben, a mysterious new neighbor, she begins to believe some of the stories she has heard about creatures of the forest.
Payback Time by Carl Deuker -- Overweight, somewhat timid Mitch reluctantly agrees to be the sports reporter for the Lincoln High newspaper because he's determined to be a writer, but he senses a real story in Angel, a talented football player who refuses to stand out on the field -- or to discuss his past.
Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson -- Fifteen-year-old Scarlett, who is beginning to get over her break-up with Eric, stays busy as assistant to her theatrical-agent friend, who is not only promoting Scarlett's brother Spencer but also a new client whose bad-boy brother has transferred to Scarlett's school.
I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison -- In a series of journal entries, Jenny Cooper describes her stay with cousin Jane Austen in the 1790s, and her entrance into Jane's world of beautiful dresses, dances, secrets, gossip, and romance.
The Half-life of Planets by Emily Franklin -- An unlikely romance develops between a science-minded girl who is determined to reclaim her reputation and a boy with Asperger's Syndrome.
Worldshaker by Richard Harland -- Sixteen-year-old Col Porpentine is being groomed as the next Commander of Worldshaker, a juggernaut where elite families live on the upper decks while the Filthies toil below, but when he meets Riff, a Filthy girl on the run, he discovers how ignorant he is of his home and its residents.
Scrawl by Mark Shulman -- When eighth-grade school bully Tod and his friends get caught committing a crime on school property, his penalty -- staying after school and writing in a journal under the eye of the school guidance counsellor -- reveals aspects of himself that he prefers to keep hidden.
Unbound and Unbroken: the story of Frederick Douglass by Amos Esty --
Traces the life and historical impact of the noted abolitionist, detailing his birth into slavery and harsh upbringing, his subsequent escape, and his emergence as a leader.
Fiction:
Maxine Banks is Getting Married by Laurie Aurelia Williams -- When seventeen-year-old Maxine's best friend gets married, Maxine suddenly decides that she and her boyfriend Brian should, too, but things do not turn out the way she expected, and both she and Brian realize that they are not as grown up as they thought.
Sellout by Ebony Wilkins -- NaTasha loves her life of affluence in Park Adams, but her grandmother fears she has lost touch with her roots and whisks her off to Harlem, where NaTasha meets rough, street-wise girls at a crisis center and finds the courage to hold her own against them.
Half Upon a Time by James Riley -- In the village of Giant's Hand, Jack's grandfather has been pushing him to find a princess and get married, so when a young lady falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says "Punk Princess," and she tells Jack that her grandmother, who looks suspiciously like the long-missing Snow White, has been kidnapped, Jack decides to help her.
Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde -- Presents eight twists on the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, exploring such issues as why most characters seem dim-witted and what, exactly, is the theme.
The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block -- When she was thirteen, something terrifying and mysterious happened to Liv that she still does not understand, and now, four years later, her dark secret threatens to tear her apart from her family and her true love.
Crusade by Nancy Holder -- An international team of six teenaged vampire hunters, trained in Salamanca, Spain, goes to New Orleans seeking to rescue team-member Jenn's younger sister as the vampires escalate their efforts to take over the Earth.
Wicked: a Pretty Little Liars Novel by Sara Shepard -- The stalker's identity has finally been revealed but high school juniors Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Aria seem condemned to repeat the past as they resume their unrepentant ways.
Killer: a Pretty Little Liars Novel by Sara Shepard -- Former best friends Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer continue to live in fear as they struggle to keep hidden even more secrets and someone new begins stalking them via their cell phones.
Heartless by Sara Shepard -- After high school juniors Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Aria think they have seen Ali, their missing and presumed dead friend, they pursue clues from a mysterious stalker, trying to find out if she is still alive.
Wanted by Sara Shepard -- In this final volume, former best friends Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily, who lost their best friend and leader, Alison, years ago when she disappeared, find themselves in grave danger when they pursue the truth about Alison.
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness -- As a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions, questioning all they have ever known as they try to step back from the darkness and find the best way to achieve peace.
Fear: 13 stories of Suspense and Horror by R.L. Stine -- In 13 blood-chilling stories from such masters of suspense as R.L. Stine, Meg Cabot, Heather Graham, and Suzanne Weyn, nothing is what it seems, and no one is safe.
Zen and Xander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan -- Two teenaged sisters try to come to terms with the death of their mother in very different ways.
Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber -- In Missouri in 1926, fifteen-year-old Iris Baldwin discovers what family truly means when her father hires her out for the summer as a companion to a country doctor's invalid mother.
My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours by Kristina Springer -- When her best friend Sea returns from her summer vacation claiming to have a boyfriend, twelve-year-old Tori is sure she is lying and makes up her own boyfriend, who just so happens to do everything better than Sea's boyfriend.
Ninth Ward by Jewel Parker Rhodes -- In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have no choice but to stay and weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina bears down upon them.
Lighter Side of Life and Death by C. K. Kelly Martin -- After the last, triumphant night of the school play, fifteen-year-old Mason loses his virginity to his good friend and secret crush, Kat Medina, which leads to enormous complications at school just as his home life is thrown into turmoil by his father's marriage to a woman with two children.
The Secret to Lying by Todd Mitchell -- Fifteen-year-old James lies about himself to be considered "cool" when he gets into an exclusive boarding school, but soon unnaturally vivid dreams of being a demon-hunting warrior lead to self-destructive acts while he is awake.
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L. A. Meyer -- bk. 8 of Bloody Jack -- Now rich, Jacky Faber has purchased the Lorelei Lee to carry passengers across the Atlantic, and believing she has been absolved of past sins against the Crown, she docks in London, where she is arrested and sentenced to life in the newly formed penal colony in Australia.
The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye by Bonnie Shimko -- Growing up in a small town in upstate New York during the 1960s, a young girl, unwanted by her mother, searches for love and acceptance.
You by Charles Benoit -- Fifteen-year-old Kyle discovers the shattering ramifications of the decisions he makes, and does not make, about school, the girl he likes, and his future.
Bullet Point by Peter Abrahams -- The only thing seventeen-year-old Wyatt knew about his biological father was that he was serving a life sentence, but circumstances and a new girlfriend bring them together, and soon Wyatt is working to prove his father's innocence.
Time Riders, Book 1 by Alex Scarrow -- Rescued from imminent death, teens Maddy, Liam, and Sal join forces in 2001 Manhattan to correct changes in history made by other time travelers, using a "time bubble" surrounding the attack on the Twin Towers to hide their journeys.
Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman -- Emily, whose father is headmaster of a Connecticut boarding school, suffers from nightmares, and when she meets and falls in love with the handsome Del Sugar, pieces of her traumatic past start falling into place.
Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley -- Fourteen-year-old Livvie Owen, who has autism, and her family have been forced to move frequently because of her outbursts, but when they face eviction again, Livvie is convinced she has a way to get back to a house where they were all happy, once.
Home is Beyond the Mountains by Celia Barker Lottridge -- Samira is only nine years old when the Turkish army invades northwestern Persia in 1918, driving her family from its tiny village. They flee into the mountains, but the journey is so difficult that only Samira and her older brother survive. Will she and the other children ever see their villages again?
Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke -- Clementine thinks her cousin Fan is everything that she could never be: beautiful, imaginative, wild. The girls promise to be best friends and sisters after the summer is over, but Clementine's life in the city is different from Fan's life in dusty Lake Conapaira. And Fan is looking for something, though neither she nor Clementine understands what it is.
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein -- A scrappy alley cat named Aldwyn passes himself off as a magical animal companion to Jack, a young wizard in training, but must convince his fellow "familiars" that he is authentic.
Hush by Eishes Chayil -- After remembering the cause of her best friend Devory's suicide at age nine, Gittel is determined to raise awareness of sexual abuse in her Borough Park, New York, community, despite the rules of Chassidim that require her to be silent.
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin -- Seventeen-year-old Avery can remember nothing to explain her parents' violent death in the woods where they live, but after meeting Ben, a mysterious new neighbor, she begins to believe some of the stories she has heard about creatures of the forest.
Payback Time by Carl Deuker -- Overweight, somewhat timid Mitch reluctantly agrees to be the sports reporter for the Lincoln High newspaper because he's determined to be a writer, but he senses a real story in Angel, a talented football player who refuses to stand out on the field -- or to discuss his past.
Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson -- Fifteen-year-old Scarlett, who is beginning to get over her break-up with Eric, stays busy as assistant to her theatrical-agent friend, who is not only promoting Scarlett's brother Spencer but also a new client whose bad-boy brother has transferred to Scarlett's school.
I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison -- In a series of journal entries, Jenny Cooper describes her stay with cousin Jane Austen in the 1790s, and her entrance into Jane's world of beautiful dresses, dances, secrets, gossip, and romance.
The Half-life of Planets by Emily Franklin -- An unlikely romance develops between a science-minded girl who is determined to reclaim her reputation and a boy with Asperger's Syndrome.
Worldshaker by Richard Harland -- Sixteen-year-old Col Porpentine is being groomed as the next Commander of Worldshaker, a juggernaut where elite families live on the upper decks while the Filthies toil below, but when he meets Riff, a Filthy girl on the run, he discovers how ignorant he is of his home and its residents.
Scrawl by Mark Shulman -- When eighth-grade school bully Tod and his friends get caught committing a crime on school property, his penalty -- staying after school and writing in a journal under the eye of the school guidance counsellor -- reveals aspects of himself that he prefers to keep hidden.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Teen book, music and game reviews - by TEENS
School Library Journal is a great magazine for school and public librarians, but most teens would never know it existed - except for the very special few who write for it!
Read these teen music and game reviews - and here are the book reviews, as well.
Let me know if you like seeing these, and I'll post a link to the column every time it comes out (once a month, I think).
Read these teen music and game reviews - and here are the book reviews, as well.
Let me know if you like seeing these, and I'll post a link to the column every time it comes out (once a month, I think).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)