My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr

Posted by Gwen Bartlett

This is a story of three teenagers who are struggling with their sexual identity: Link, Ellen's older brother; James, his friend; Ellen, who loves them both. Link doesn't want to be gay, but may be. James thinks he is gay, but may not be. Ellen thinks Link and James are gay, but doesn't want them to be. She is in love with James and wants him to love her in return. Ellen and James end up as lovers, and Link ends up with a girl-friend, but none of them are sure how they really feel. This would be a good story for teenagers struggling with their own sexual identity or facing a similar problem with a friend or relative.

Ghost in the Machine by Gwen Bartlett

Ghost in the Machine is a sequel to Skeleton Creek. You read part of the book, then watch a video clip on the internet. The book and the video clips give you clues to help you solve the mystery.

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

This is the story of a very smart boy. He can remember everything he hears - conversations, TV shows, advertisements, everything. But, no one knows that he understands anything because he has cerebral palsy. He can't talk or use his hands or even blink his eyes when he wants to. He has no control over his muscles. He has seizures very often and his father thinks he is in great pain when he has the seizures. Actually his seizures free him from the prison of his body and allow him to experience life like other teenagers. Because of the pain he is suffering, he thinks his father is going to kill him so that he won't be in misery. His father doesn't realize that he is intelligent and caring. This book really made me stop and think about students with cerebral palsy that we treat like children. They may be more intelligent than we are.

First Part Last by Angela Johnson

The story of Bobby and Nia, 16, and pregnant. The story is told in flashbacks from Bobby's viewpoint. He ends up taking care of the baby when Nia has eclampsia and brain death. He loves the baby, Feather, more than anything in his life, but he finds out how hard it is to be a high school student with a baby. His old life (then) is far different than his new life (now).

Bone: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith

Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, Smiley Bone, Gran'ma Ben and Thorn are visiting the village of Barrelhaven for the Great Cow Race. Phoney Bone is trying to get everyone to bet against Gran'ma. He has convinced Smiley Bone to dress up as a cow and compete in the race against Gran'ma. Thorn meets a young bee keeper at the fair and Fone is jealous. During the race, Fone is chased by a herd of creatures. They collide with the cow race and Gran'ma Ben manages to win again. They continue on towards Boneville, ready for another adventure.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Todd lives on a New World where people can hear each others thoughts and also hear animal thoughts. They call it the Noise. One day Todd hears a space of silence with no Noise. As he investigates, he finds a girl named Viola. There are no girls or women in Prenticetown. When his guardians Ben and Cillan find out, they tell him he must flee. They send him with supplies and a diary of his mother's and tell him, "You must warn them." As he and Viola race to escape the men of Prenticetown who are chasing them, they find that they are being pursued for other reasons that they don't even realize. They come to town after town where the townspeople are afraid and the army is always following them. Those who shelter them are destroyed. When they finally make it to Haven, where they hope to find safety, they find no one except the Mayor of Prenticetown who has been following them. A sequel is to follow.

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

There’s more to me than most people see. Twelve-year-old Willow would rather blend in than stick out. But she still wants to be seen for who she is. She wants her parents to notice that she is growing up. She wants her best friend to like her better than she likes a certain boy. She wants, more than anything, to mush the dogs out to her grandparents’ house, by herself, with Roxy in the lead. But sometimes when it’s just you, one mistake can have frightening consequences . . . And when Willow stumbles, it takes a surprising group of friends to help her make things right again. Using diamond-shaped poems inspired by forms found in polished diamond willow sticks, Helen Frost tells the moving story of Willow and her family. Hidden messages within each diamond carry the reader further, into feelings Willow doesn’t reveal even to herself.

City of Ashes

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother,...

Part of the Mortal Instruments series
City of Bone
City of Ashes
City of Glass

Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14: Debate Club. Her father's " bunny rabbit. " A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school. Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15: A knockout figure. A sharp tongue. A chip on her shoulder. And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston. Frankie Landau-Banks. No longer the kind of girl to take " no" for an answer. Especially when " no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society. Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places. Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them. When she knows Matthew's lying to her. And when there are so many, many pranks to be done. Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16: Possibly a criminal mastermind. This is the story of how she got that way.
-from Shelfari

Miss Spitfire; the story of Helen Keller

Annie Sullivan was little more than a half-blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work, she'd taken on a seemingly impossible job -- teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as ferocious as any wild animal. But Helen Keller needed more than a teacher. She needed someone daring enough to work a miracle. And if anyone was a match for Helen, it was the girl they used to call Miss Spitfire. For Annie, reaching Helen's mind meant losing teeth as raging fists flew. It meant standing up when everyone else had given up. It meant shedding tears at the frustrations and at the triumphs. By telling this inspiring story from Annie Sullivan's point of view, Sarah Miller's debut novel brings an amazing figure to sharp new life. Annie's past, her brazen determination, and her connection to the girl who would call her Teacher have never been clearer.
(from Shelfari)

From Emporia

“"I've been a life-long Kansan and grew up hearing of Wm. Allen White, but it wasn't until I read this book that I realized the influence of Mr. White on the government and politics, not just in Kansas but across the US, all while residing in Emporia, Kansas. Great biography.”
Sharon K wrote this revie

Leepike Ridge by N. D. Wilson

Eleven-year-old Thomas Hammond is in for the ride of his life when he's swept downstream and underground aboard a crumbling raft of Styrofoam. Washing up on a dark subterranean "beach," his only companions are an impulsive dog named Argus and a corpse, from which he takes a flashlight and an all-too-limited supply of batteries. What Tom finds under Leepike Ridge—a castaway, four graves, a tomb, and buried treasure—will answer questions he hadn't known to ask and change his life forever. Now, if he can only find his way home again. . . . An original mix of Robinson Crusoe, King Solomon's Mines, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Odyssey , N. D. Wilson's first book for young readers is a remarkable adventure, a journey though the dark of the grave and back out into the light.
From Shelfari

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Kaleigh and Raeanne are twins who live in California with their father, who is a judge, and their mother, who is running for Congress. Their home life appears to be perfect, but is just the opposite. Daddy is sexually molesting Kaeleigh. Raeanne does drugs, is sexually promiscous and bulemic. Mother is never home and Daddy is controlling. It is not until Kaeleigh tries to commit suicide that the reader discovers what really happened one night that changed all of their lives. Very mature.

Untamed by P.C. Cast

Zoey Redbird is attending the House of NIght which is a training school for vampyres in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has found that she has special powers and an affinity for all five elements - air, water, fire, earth, and spirit. When Zoey's friends begin dying and returning as Undead, Zoey along with her friends, Aphrodite and Stevie Rae, must confront Neferet, the High Priestess, who wants to start a war between the vampyres and humans.

Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper

Simon Bloom is on his way home when he feels a breeze. The breeze seems to blow him in a certain direction and he ends up in Dunkerhook Woods, a magical place where he finds a magical book - The Teacher's Edition of Physics. Simon takes the book home and finds it is full of formulas - not very interesting until he tries one and finds himself floating around in his bedroom like an astronaut in outer space. He and his friends Owen and Alysha try out some more of the formulas and are having a great time until they discover that others are after the book and their lives are in danger. They must learn the formulas and be able to use them at a moments notice in order to save the book and return it to its rightful owner. This was a funny science fiction story with lots of actual explanations of scientific principals and how they could be applied or what would happen if they were not there. Kids who like science would love this book. The information about the author on the back blurb was very funny and could be used in an introduction to the book. This is his first novel, but I see a series on the way.

Marked by P.C. Cast

Zoey Redbird Montgomery is marked by a vampyre tracker and must go to the House of Night, a vampyre finishing school in Tulsa, Oklahoma where she will learn to become a vampyre. There she meets Neferet, the High Priestess; Stevie Rae Johnson, her new roommate; Erin and Shaunee who act like twins; Damien, who is gay; Aphrodite, the school queen bee and head of the Dark Daughters Society; Erik the new love interest. Zoey learns that she has extraordinary powers and pits herself against Aphrodite. With the help of her friends, she takes over as leader of the Dark Daughters and begins her training for High Priestess.

This reminded me of the Harry Potter series for vampires. She goes off to a special boarding school, meets new friends, separates from her parents, takes special classes, has more powers than the ordinary fledgling, must overcome the evil student who is in charge. Not very well written. The author's daughter helped write the book so that the dialogue would be true to the way teenagers talk. It is, but it will be quickly dated because of all of the slang used. This is the first in the House of Night series. Some sexual activity and profanity but not too bad.

I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan

Julie, the cheerleader; Ray, her boyfriend; Helen, the TV Golden Girl; Barry the star quarterback are coming home late one night from a party, driving too fast, when a 10 year old boy on a bike appears in front of them. They hit him, but don't stop to help him. They call the police, but the boy died enroute to the hospital. They make a pact not to tell anyone what happened, but it affects all of their lives. One year later, Julie receives a letter - I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. Ray gets a copy of the newspaper clipping about the accident. Helen receives a picture of a boy on a bike and Barry, who was driving, is shot. Who is sending the messages and who knows about the accident? Should they go to the police and tell them what happened? Are all of their lives in danger?

This is a very good mystery, but it is really dated. It was originally written in 1973. One of the main characters has just returned from the Viet Nam war. The phrases used by the teenagers are dated. A comment is made about TV - if you don't have one, there's one in the lobby. The phone is out at one of the houses - no cell phones, of course. I just wonder if there are enough out of date things in the story that it would not be of interest to today's teens.

STORM: the Infinity Code by E.L. Young

Will and his friend Gaia attend a special school in England. They are both extremely bright. One day Gaia invites Will to join STORM, a group hoping to combat global strife. The group is headed by Andrew, a teen software designer, and millionaire. Another friend Caspian also belongs to the group. After rescuing a plane load of passengers during a solar explosion or CME, the three find out that a new weapon is being developed to create a black hole in space and destroy the new space hotel. Caspian's father has been kidnapped and has asked for Caspian's help with the project. By following him, Will, Gaia, and Andrew go to St. Petersburg, Russia and discover a secret missile launching site. They only have minutes to destroy the launcher before the new weapon explodes. Will discovers that his mother, an astrophysicist, has also been forced to work on the project. The three teenagers manage to destroy the device and Caspian and Roden Cutler, the man behind the plan are captured. This science fiction novel is packed with action and adventure. Will is an expert inventor, coming up with James Bond type gadgets to help with their quest. Gaia is a strong female character who creates bombs. All of the students are gifted. This would appeal to science fiction fans, gifted students, and those interested in science.

42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Jo Ellen lives 42 miles from her father's farm. She and her mother live in Cincinnati during the week. She lives with her father on the farm during the weekends. She has two very different lives, even two names, Joey on the farm and Ellen in the city. She feels like she has two personalities and doesn't know who she really is. She decides she is going to become her own person. She takes the best of both worlds and combines them to become JoEllen. This book is a novel in verse.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Auden decides to spend the summer with her father and new stepmother, Heidi, at the beach. They have just had a new baby, Thisbe, who is very fussy. Auden has always lived with her mother in the world of academia. She only concentrates on her studies, books, learning, classes. She walks into a totally different world of fun, relaxation, biking, babies. She meets Eli, whose best friend was killed. Together they spend their sleepless nights making up for all of the things Auden has missed in her lifetime - food fights, parties, making friends, beer joints, riding bicycles, prom. She gets scared when things get serious with Eli and at the same time, her father and Heidi separate. With the help of her new friends, she gets things back to normal and improves the relationships with both her father and her mother. She gets back with Eli and she, Eli, and her new friend Maggie go off to college in the fall.

The Letter Writer by Ann Rinaldi

Harriet Whitehead, 11, lives with her half-brother Richard, his wife Pleasant, their baby William, sister Margaret, and Mother Whitehead on a plantation in the South in 1831. Her best friend is Violet, who is her slave. Her brother is a Methodist minister and is very strict with her upbringing. Since Mother Whitehead is going blind, Harriet becomes her letter writer. She begins correspondence with her Uncle Arthur in England and writes all of Mother Whitehead's letters about the running of the plantation. She and Violet hear about a slave preacher named Nat Turner who baptizes in the river. They go to see him. Nat ends up working at their plantation and tells Harriet about a loving and forgiving God - very different from the vengeful God that Richard preaches about. Nat asks Harriet to draw a map for him of the surrounding area so that he can go to different plantations to preach to the slaves. What he ends up doing is leading a slave rebellion and killing 57 people on the surrounding plantations, including all of Harriet's family. Harriet and Violet are the only ones left. Harriet contacts her Uncle Arthur in England and tells him that everyone is dead. Harriet runs the plantation until Uncle Arthur can get there. She feels responsible for giving Nat the map. When Nat is captured, she is afraid that she will be blamed for the map. She and Violet find the map and Harriet wants to destroy it, but Uncle Arthur arrives and insists that they turn it in to the sheriff. Harriet finds out that Uncle Arthur is actually her father and that Violet is her half-sister.

The book contains graphic descriptions of the killings done by Nat Turner. Uncle Arthur also explains about his affairs with a slave resulting in Violet's birth and also with a writer in England, who was Harriet's mother. Ann Rinaldi explains in notes at the end that Nat Turner is a great mystery to historians because they don't know why he revolted and killed all the people that he did. All of his previous life he had been a minister who preached peace and love. The author presents both sides of his personality without painting him as either a hero or a villain.

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls

Sam, 11, is dying of leukemia. He is being home schooled with his friend, Felix, who also has cancer. He lives with his mum, dad, and younger sister, Ella, who is 8. He decides to write a book about himself. Some of the book is lists that he makes to include in his book.
Things I want to Do -
1. Be a a famous scientist. Find things out and write books about them.
2. Break a world record. Not an athletic one, obviously. A silly one.
3. Watch all the horror films I'm not allowed to watch. Rs or NC-17s.
4. Go up down-escalators and down up-escalators.
5. See a ghost
6. Be a teenager. Do teenage things like drink and smoke and have girlfriends.
7. Ride in an airship.
8. Go up in a spaceship and see the earth from space.
In one way or another he fulfills his wish list. His friend Felix dies and he has many questions about death and dying and what it will be like. The book describes his treatment, his feelings about his illness and death, and he does die at the end of the book.
My only problem with the book is that it is English. There are many English words and phrases used. I don't know if students will understand all of them.
It's a tearjerker.

Pretty Like Us by Carol Lynch Williams

Beauty McElwarth lives in Florida and is starting 6th grade. Jamie Borget, her new teacher is dating her mom. Cody Nelson used to be her best friend, but now doesn't want to play with her any more because she is turning into a "girl". She is dreading her coming year at Green River School because she has no friends and is very shy. The teacher announces that they will have a new student in their class who has progeria, a disease that causes advanced aging. When Beauty returns from lunch she finds Mr. Borget talking to somebody's grandmother, who turns out to be Alane Shriver, the new student. Beauty wants so much to be a part of the in crowd that she runs out to recess to tell them all about Alane and calls her a freakoid. Eventually, Beauty and Alane become friends and Beauty realizes that her grandmother's favorite saying - "pretty is as pretty diz" - is true. The girls take Beauty's mother's restored Cadillac out one night after midnight and get rammed by a wild boar. Alane falls out of a swing and almost drowns. Beauty is so good for Alane because she treats her like a normal kid. She doesn't realize that Alane is going to die soon. When she finds out, she knows she must help Alane. Alane has always wanted to write a book and with Beauty's help, she writes Pretty Like Us.

Double-click for Trouble by Chris Woodworth

Eddie McCall and his mom live in Chicago. His best friend Jared (Whip - he puts Miracle Whip on everything) lives in the same building. One day Jared finds a picture of a naked girl on the computer and talks Eddie into signing up for an online dating service. Eddie's mom, Linda, finds out and ships him off for vacation to Uncle Peaveys. Uncle Peavey is an old bachelor with some very strange habits. He eats standing up, out of the pan, puts newspapers on the floor so he doesn't have to sweep, and fixes lawn mowers and tractors for a living. He has no computer and lives in the little town of Sheldon, Indiana, which has a Corn Festival. Ronnie (Veronica) helps Uncle Peavey fix things and is a real tomboy. Her sister Erin works at the convenience store and is beautiful. Eddie falls for Erin, but is embarrassed around her. He finds out that the library has internet access and goes there to check out his online dating service. When he prints a picture of a topless girl, he gets into trouble and Uncle Peavey finds out. Ordella Mae (Della), Peavey's friend, brings food over for them and becomes Eddie friend. When Old Mrs. Daly dies, her family comes back to town. Erin falls for Isaac, the oldest son, and Eddie finds out who his father is - not someone he is proud of. Eddie learns that although Uncle Peavey is strange, he is a very special person and cares more for his mother and him than he realized. He and Ronnie become better friends and decide to get Uncle Peavey together with his old girlfriend - who is not who they think she is.

This is a light hearted romance that deals with first love, teen curiosity, internet safety; told from a boys point of view.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The story of Liesel Meminger, a nine-year-old girl in Nazi Germany during World War II. Death is the narrator. Her younger brother Werner dies on a train in 1939. Her mother gives her up for adoption and she is adopted by Rosa and Hans Hubermann. The first book she steals is The Gravediggers Handbook, which she picks up in the snow at her brother's funeral. She can't read it, but it reminds her of him. Hans (Papa) teaches her to read at night when she can't sleep because of nightmares of her brother. Her best friend is Rudy, who lives down the street. He always wants to kiss her, but she refuses. Her mother does laundry and Liesel delivers it. One day the mayor's wife invites her into their home and shows her the library. She begins to read in the library and borrow the books one at a time. One day, a Jewish man, who knew Hans as a boy, shows up at their house. They hide him in the basement and Max and Liesel become friends. The Gestapo examine the basement at one point, but do not find Max. Max writes two books for Liesel, before he leaves and ends up in Dachau concentration camp. The air raids eventually begin and Liesel reads to the other people in the shelter during the raids. Her father, Hans, and Rudy's father, Alex, are drafted into the German army and Hans is assigned to the LSE who clean up the dead bodies after an air raid. He is sent there because he tried to give a Jewish man a piece of bread. He breaks his leg and is returned home. Liesel and Rudy also try to help the Jewish prisoners as they are marched through town and are whipped because of their efforts. Liesel and Rudy steal several books from Ilse Hermann's house (the mayor's wife). She knows they are doing it and leaves the window open and one time, cookies on the desk. One night Himmel Street is bombed and the air raid sirens don't go off in time. Everyone Liesel knows and loves is killed. She survives because she is down in the basement writing. The mayor's wife adopts her. She lives to an old age, marries and has children. When death comes to get her, he gives her The Book Thief, the book she has written about her life in Germany.
This was a marvelous book. Told from the viewpoint of the German people you see a different side of the war. With Death as the narrator, you also get a philosophical viewpoint of death and war. Words and books and writing are key concepts throughout the book and you realize the power of words in people's lives, especially during this time when radio and television were not available to everyone. The book is richly written with many similies, metaphors, personification. I found myself rereading sentences and paragraphs to absorb the richness of the language.

p. 9 - personification
p. 23 - conveyor belt of eternity
p. 26 - irony
p. 29 - grey - the color of Europe
p. 29 - similes and personification in bold print

Billy Creekmore by Tracey Porter

Billy Creekmore is a 10 year old boy living in West Virginia in 1905. His mother died in childbirth, his father abandoned him and he is living at the Guardian Angels Home for Boys run by Mr. and Mrs. Beadle. Life is very hard and when Billy finds out he is being sent to work for Mr. Colder at the glass factory, he decides to run away. Before he can, his Uncle Jim arrives and takes him home to live with his Aunt Agnes. He has a good life there and begins working in the coal mines as a mule driver. After a section of the mine collapses, the workers start forming a union (UMW). When Billy's uncle and friend are killed by the Baldwin-Felts agents, his aunt tells him to run away. He joins the Sparks circus and finds his father who is working for another circus. He goes with his father, but finds that he is a drunk and unscrupulous man who will do anything for money. Billy runs away again to go back to the Sparks Circus where he has friends who love him and consider him part of their family. The book is based on the author's mothers life. She was in a foster home, abandoned by her father after her mother died in childbirth and was later adopted by her aunt and uncle. The boys who work in the mines are real boys who died before the age of 17 in the coal mines. The Sparks Circus was a real circus owned by Charles Sparks who cared for his troop like family.

Ever by Gail Carson Levine

Two characters - Olus and Kezi tell this story. Each chapter is a different character talking. Both are in first person. Until you figure this out, it is very difficult to understand the story. Olus is the Akkan god of the wind. He comes to earth as a mortal and meets Kezi, who worships Admat. Kezi's father has taken an oath that if Admat will heal Kezi's mother, mati, he will sacrifice whoever first congratulates him on her recovery. Aunt Fedo comes to visit and starts to congratulate Senat on his wife's recovery. To save Aunt Fedo, Kezi congratulates her father, so she is the one to be sacrificed. Her father begs for one month's mercy. Olus falls in love with Kezi and takes her to Akka. If she can become immortal, a goddess, she will never die. Both Olus and Kezi must stand trials. Olus must rescue a friend from a well without his powers. Kezi must go to Wadir, the underworld, and take a feather from a warki to return to earth. Both are able to succeed in their trials. Kezi becomes the goddess of awareness and uncertainty. She returns to Hyte, her home village, where she is sacrificed. Because of her immortality, she doesn't die. The people of Hyte consider her disappearance a miracle and promise never to sacrifice anyone again. Olus takes her to Akka where they are married. They have three daughters and three sons. Three became gods and goddesses and three remained mortal. The moral: "Fate may be thwarted. We strive for happy outcomes." This book was very difficult to read. The change in characters with both speaking in first person, the strange names and places, the concepts of various gods. I think middle school students will have trouble reading this book.

Red Glass by Laura Resau

Sophie's family adopts a five year old Mexican immigrant boy who is without any family. They eventually discover that he still has grandparents there. Sophie and her Aunt Dika, from Bosnia, Aunt Dika's boyfriend, and his grandson Angel set off on a cross country journey to return Pablo to his relatives. Sophie is a worrier and afraid of everything, so this is a courageous adventure for her. On the trip, she and Angel fall in love. Lorenzo, Aunt Dika's boyfriend, and Angel return to Guatamala to try and recover some jewelry of Angel's mothers. When they do not return, Sophie realizes they are in trouble and manages through many very dangerous circumstances to find them and bring them home.

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin, one of the high school nerds, has always been in love with his next door neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, one of the cool kids. One night she appears at his window and convinces him to accompany her on a revenge motivated crime spree to get back at her ex-boyfriend. After their night together, Quentin expects to continue their friendship, but Margo disappears. Has she run away or committed suicide? Quentin and his geeky friends find clues to her disappearance and decide to find her, dead or alive. Some of their antics will make adult heads spin. I think teens will identify with Margo as having the guts to do what they would like to try. Older teens.

Whale Talk

TJ Jones, high school senior whose mixed parentage and rough experiences as a neglected child have made him sensitive to anyone who's mistreated in school, decides to help out a younger kid who's being bullied. How to do it? Create a swim team and make the younger kid a successful athlete. The school doesn't have a pool. but that won't stop TJ and his crew of likable misfits.

Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

Simon Glass is the typical nerd of the senior class of a high school in Houston. When popular Rob decides to transform him into the coolest kid in school (as a display of his power), his power trip gets out of hand. Characters in the novel have one-paragraph quotes (told five years later) at the beginning of every chapter, and through these, we learn that Simon will die, and Young Steward, our narrator, will be involved and jailed. Rob, Young, the athletic Coop, and flirtatious Bobster (try keeping those names straight) are each involved in Simon's transformation, pushing him to be class favorite and allowing him to manipulate student computer records to make them look good. After the "Favorites dance" results are manipulated by Simon as a trick on THEM, Rob flips out, taking a baseball bat to Simon, killing him, on the last page of the book. I didn't like this book, hard to put my finger on why...Rob was just a little too much of a caricature, the boys seemed TOO mature for high school.

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Mau, an island boy, is completing his manhood experience on another island when a tidal wave wipes out his entire community. He returns home to nothing and no one. Daphne, a sheltered English girl, is shipwrecked on the same island from the same storm. Together they must cooperate to survive. As other people from neighboring islands arrive, they learn to work together to establish a new Nation. They discover a long lost architectural find which changes their entire way of thinking about their gods.

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

Willow is a young girl who lives in Alaska and has sled dogs. She was named for the willow stick that forms diamond shapes when the branches fall off. Most of the story is written in verses shaped in a diamond shape. Willow wants to take the sled dogs to Grandma and Grandpa's by herself. It's only twelve miles. Her parents finally decides that she can and she makes the trip successfully, but on the way back, she is going too fast. A tree has fallen on the path and she doesn't see it in time. The dogs run into the tree and Rory, the lead dog, is blinded. She gets him back home, but the vet doesn't think he will ever see again. Willow's parents are trying to decide whether to put Rory to sleep when Willow finds out. She tries to take Rory to her grandparents and she and Kaylie, her friend from school, are caught in a blizzard when they lose the path. Willow finds out that she was actually a twin. Her twin sister was named Diamond and only lived four days. Her ashes were spread where the girls spent the night. Her sisters ashes and Rory who has Diamond's spirit protect them and keep them safe. Rory is saved and becomes a house dog. Only Willow knows that Rory is able to see again and run with the other dogs.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In Panem, North America, on Reaping Day, one boy and one girl are chosen from each of the 12 districts to participate in the Hunger Games. The games are televised and everyone must watch the competition to the death. Only one person can win and they must kill all of the others. Katniss's younger sister Primrose is chosen from their district. She is young and inexperienced, so Katniss volunteers to go in her place. Katniss is a hunter, a survivor. She thinks she can survive and perhaps win. The boy who is chosen is Peeta Mellark, the bakers son who has always loved Katniss. Haymitch, the only previous winner from Seam, their home district, is their mentor. He is always drunk, and Katniss and Peeta don't feel like he will be any help to them. As the games develop, Katniss befriends Rue, a 12 year old girl from District 11. Eventually she realizes that Peetah has been helping her and they form an alliance. In the end, they are both chosen as winners, although the Capitol is very angry and tries to kill them. They have fallen in love, but is Katniss really in love or just doing it for the audience? A sequel to follow.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

In the Seven Kingdoms, when a person is born with eyes of two different colors, they possess a Grace. Sometimes the Grace is powerful and sometimes not. Katsa is born with one of the most powerful of all - the grace for killing. She is used by her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns to revenge his enemies. Katsa hates killing, but feels that she has no choice. She has created a council of good to offset her evil deeds. On one of her chosen quests, she rescues the kidnapped father of the King of Lienid. During the quest, she meets Prince Greening (Po), his grandson. He also has a Grace, the grace for fighting. Although they start as enemies,they soon become friends, and eventually lovers. He convinces Katsa that she does not have to follow King Randa's commands. They set off together to find out why Po's grandfather was kidnapped and discover more evil than they can handle in Monsea with King Leck who is graced with the power to alter people's thoughts. He is a very evil man who kills and maims and then convinces others that he is kind and generous. Po and Katsa rescue Bitterblue, King Leck's daughter before he is able to harm her, then they set out to kill King Leck. Although Po is almost killed, Katsa is able to escape and eventually kill Bitterblue's father. Bitterblue becomes Queen of Monsea. Katsa returns to find Po is blind, but has learned to compensate for his blindness by sensing things around him. They marry and everyone lives happily ever after. This book has a slow start, but lots of adventure and action. Very strong female characters. Survival story. First novel by this author.

Here Lies Arthur by Phillip Reeve

Gwyna is a young girl serving as a slave in the castle of The Irishman in Medieval England AD 500. She runs away and is found by Myrddin (Merlin). He convinces her to be the "Lady of the Lake" and give Arthur his sword (Caliburn). He keeps her as a boy to be his servant and traveling companion. She learns that Arthur's feats are legends that Myrddin has created. Myrddin is hoping that if he can make Arthur strong enough through legend that there will be peace again in England. Gwyna (Gwyn) enjoys being a boy and riding with the men, but eventually reaches a point that she can no longer be disguised as a boy and must become a girl. On one of their visits, she meets Peredur (Peri), a young man whose mother has raised him as a girl. They become friends. Eventually, Peredur joins Arthur's forces as a boy. The story reveals that Arthur is not the great legend that we have read about. Many of the stories are manipulated by Myrddin who is actually Arthur's leader. Myrddin and Arthur die and Gwyna and Peredur continue Myrddin's legacy of telling stories about Arthur.

Beanball by Gene Fehler

Luke "Wizard" Wallace is a great baseball player. He is popular, good looking, and talented. The team plays better when Luke is there. Life is good for him until the day he is hit in the face by a fastball. The ball crushes his eye and knocks him unconscious. He loses the sight in his left eye. This novel in verse relates how Luke's injury affects him and the people around him, his coach, the team, his friends, his family, the students at his school, the other team, the other coach, the players on the other team. It reads quickly and has a good ending. Luke decides he will try to play ball again. He becomes friends with a girl who cares about him and is an inspiration to his team.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Isabel and Ruth Finch are promised their freedom when Miss Mary Finch dies, but instead they are sold to a wealthy English couple, Anne and Elihu Lockton. They are taken to New York where conflict is high between the Loyalists and the Patriots. Isabel finds herself spying for the patriots. Her sister Ruth has epilepsy and when she has a seizure, Anne sells her. Isabel runs away but is captured and branded I for Insolance. Lady Seymour, the master's aunt, befriends Isabel and nurses her back to health, but then returns her to Madam Lockton. Curzon, a young slave boy about Isabel's age, befriends her and helps her when he can. There is a terrible fire and Lady Seymour's house burns. Isabel rescues her and takes her to the Locktons. Curzon is captured along with other rebel soldiers and put into jail. Isabel brings him scraps of food from the Lockton house. Isabel continues passing messages for the rebels, but is caught and put into the potato bin. She decides to run. She manages to get Curzon out of jail by offering to clean the cells and carrying him out in a wheelbarrow as a dead body. They find a boat and escape to Jersey. Sequel will be Forge.

Hero by S.L. Rottman

Sean is a 15 year old boy who has no parent support at home and is always getting in trouble at school. He lives with his mother who is always drunk. His father has been gone for two years. When he gets in trouble at school again, he is sent for community service to Mr. Hassler's farm. Mr. Hassler has a reputation for helping teenage boys who are in trouble. He takes Sean and with responsibility and caring gets him on the right track. The first night he is there, Manda, one of the mares, gives birth to a colt. Sean has to help with the delivery and becomes Knickers friend. Manda doesn't want her baby and even tries to harm him. Sean identifies with the colt and is angry with Manda, just as he is angry with his own mother for the abuse he has suffered at her hand. When his mother ends up in critical condition at the hospital because her liver is failing, Mr. Hassler agrees to keep Sean even though his father shows up and tries to take him. One of Sean's assignments at school is to write an essay, "My Hero Is.."
He and Mr. Hassler have several discussions about heroes. Mr. Hassler has received several medals from his WWII service. In the climax to the story, Sean's enemy, King shows up at the ranch and threatens to shoot Sean, Mr. Hassler, and Knickers, the colt. Sean is shot, but recovers. His essay expresses his frustration at the world he has to live in and the fact that in his life, he has no heroes, no one he can look up to, but he hopes one day to find one. Mrs. Walker, his English teacher, is another support that he realizes he has at school. James is a farm worker who is older than Sean. Mr. Hassler is an older man - grandfather age. Most of the setting is Mr. Hassler's farm, although the beginning of the book takes place at Sean's school.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Seventeen year old Tess is dying from Leukemia. She has started a list of things she wants to do before she dies.
1. Have sex
2. Say “Yes” to everything
3. Do drugs
4. Break the law
5. Drive
6. Have fame
7. Travel the World - traded for Getting Mom and Dad back together again
8. Love
9. Adam moving in
10. Lauren Tessa Walker - Zoey’s baby
11. A cup of tea
12. Instructions to Dad
13. To hold my brother as dusk settles on the window ledge
14. A joke
15. To get out of bed and go downstairs and its all a joke
Tessa does get to do the things on her list. She meets the young man next door and they fall in love. She helps her friend Zoey who is pregnant and gets to hold her baby. Her parents get back together and she loves her brother. All but her last wish - it’s not a joke. She dies peacefully at the end of the story.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

In a science fiction novel that takes place in the future, Jenna Fox has been in a very severe car accident. She has just awakened from a coma and has no memory. Her parents start showing her movies of her life to help her remember. As her memory starts to return she learns that her body is not her own. She is a robot made of bio-gel, a substance created by her father. Only 10 percent of her brain remains. All the rest of her body is artificial. The bio-gel contains chemical neurotransmitters. They learn from her brain and become smarter. Her memories have all been uploaded from her brain. She and the other two teenagers who were in the car with her have all had their memories stored in computers for future use. The FSEB, which controls all medical procedures, has outlawed the overuse of antibiotics and human organ reproduction. Jenna is illegal. If anyone finds out that she exists, her parents and the scientists who have helped them will be in trouble. Jenna must remain hidden, but she wants her freedom. She wants to be human. She wants friends and the human part of being a terminal being.

This is a great thought provoking science fiction book. It could lead to discussions about what makes us human and how far scientists and doctors should go in saving human life. It would be good to compare to Jules Verne and other classic science fiction novels that were written about things that actually later came to pass, like submarines. Will medical science eventually be able to create human beings from very small particles of actual human beings and what will be the repercussions of these advances? Would you really want to live forever?

The Naming by Alison Croggon

Maerad, a slave in Gilman's Cot is found by Cadvan, a Bard and rescued. They escape and Cadvan discovers that Maerad is the daughter of Pellinor, a school of Bardom that was ransacked and burned. Cadvan believes that Maerad is the Foretold who is come to save the kingdoms. He must take her to Norloch to be trained in her magical powers. On their travels they meet terrible monsters from the Dark and are almost killed. Along the way, they find Hem, who turns out to be Maerad's brother. Although the First Circle of Bards won't accept her, Norloch makes her a Bard and Cadvan and Maerad escape just in time before the city is burned.
This is the first book in the series of The Books of Pellinor. Although it is long, it is a good story. Sometimes too much description, but it leaves you wanting to read the next book.
The books in the series are: The Naming, The Riddle, The Crow, The Singing.

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Three teenagers meet at a treatment center called Aspen Springs in Reno, Nevada. Each of them has attempted suicide. Vanessa cuts herself whenever she is stressed. Her mother is Bipolar and she has inherited her disease. She finds her mother on the floor after her mother has committed suicide. She cuts her wrist severely and almost dies. Connor is a preppie. His mother and father are wealthy, but his father has always been gone and his mother has never loved him. They have always pushed him to be the brightest, and the best. He has had an affair with his English teacher. When she confesses, he tries to shoot himself and is sent to Aspen Springs. Tony is a street kid. He thinks he is gay. He has been forced to have sex with his mother's lover and killed him. After six years in juvenile detention, he is taken in by Phillip, a gay man who is dying from AIDS. After Phillips death, Tony is devastated. He takes a half bottle of Valium. The three meet at Aspen Springs and become good friends. Vanessa and Tony fall in love. Connor ends up committing suicide.

Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury

Dylan and his scout troop live on the island of Hawaii. They are going on a weekend campout at Halape, a remote beach campground on the southern flank of Kilauea volcano. While they are there, there is an earthquake and tidal wave. Their entire campground is gone, and all of the boys and scout leaders are lost and injured. Dylan and his enemy Louie must team up to find the rest of the troop and rescue them. They finally locate everyone. Some of them are so badly injured that they can't hike back up the trail. Louie and Dylan decide to hike out to get help. When they are about to give up, they are rescued by the Coast Guard. Everyone survives and they are all very glad to get home. This book is based on a true story of a scout troop that experienced just such an event in 1975. In the real tsunami, one of the scouts and one of the leaders was killed.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Winner of the Newbery Award 2009. As a toddler, Bod's entire family is murdered. He wanders out of the house and escapes. He ends up in a nearby graveyard where he is adopted and protected by the ghosts and witches buried there. He is adopted by a husband and wife ghost who always wanted to have children. A vampire becomes his guardian and a werewolf his tutor. He is educated by the entire graveyard and learns the ways of the dead. He meets only one other human, a girl named Scarlett, who becomes his friend. He is captured by ghouls and makes friends with a witch. As he gets older, he wants to attend school, but finds that his life is in danger. The man Jack who killed his family is still after him. Eventually, Jack finds him and tracks him to the graveyard where the ghosts and witches help him to destroy Jack and his friends. When he becomes 15, he loses his powers to converse with the dead and enters the world of the living.

Bonechiller by Graham McNamee

Danny and his father live in Harvest Cove in far northern Canada. One night after Danny and his friends, Pike, Howie, and Ash (short for Ashley - a girl) start home for the night, Danny is attacked by a huge monster animal. It's white, larger than a polar bear, with rows of razor sharp teeth. The monster stings Danny with its tongue, then let's him go. Danny comes to realize that the sting has affected him. He starts having dreams about the monster. His friend Howie is also attacked. As the boys start researching, they find that many teenagers have disappear suddenly from the area through the years. They come to realize that the monster is the Bonechiller of ancient Indian legend and has been killing young people for hundreds of years. Danny and Howie's dreams become stronger and stronger. The monster is pulling them to himself. As Danny and Ash's relationship develops, Howie and Pike come up with a plan to kill the monster, with Danny as bait. Will their plan work or will the monster kill them all?

Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? a mystery in poems by Mel Glenn

This mystery novel in verse begins with Mr. Chippendale, an English teacher at Tower High School bumping into a student as he gets ready for his morning run. A few minutes later, Mr. Chippendale is shot as he runs around the track. The rest of the novel/poems are written by different students and teachers, explaining how they feel about Mr. Chippendale. Some students felt like he was a great teacher, some hated him. Angela Falcone, the guidance counselor, is a major character as she interacts with students, teachers, the police detective, and the principal. The book climaxes in a memorial service for Mr. Chippendale after which one of the students confesses to Ms. Falcone that he was the murderer. There is an epilogue poem at the end telling where the characters are 13 years later as a new English teacher enters the building.

Elephant Run by Roland Smith

This is a great book. It was hard to get started, but once I got into the book, it was hard to put down. Nick is a teenage boy living with his mother in England during World War II. When the bombings got too bad in England, his mother decided to send him to live with his father on his plantation in Burma. Nick was safe there for a while, but then the Japanese invaded and captured his father and the plantation. His father was captured and sent to a prison camp. Nick was also captured and kept locked in his room and treated as a slave in his own home. He manages to escape and after hiding, tries to find and rescue his father. His friend Mya has a brother who has also been captured. She goes with him to try to free her brother along with the help of Hilltop, a buddhist monk who helps them. The first two or three chapters were slow and I almost didn't read the rest of the book, so don't give up on it. Keep reading! You'll love it.

Counting on Grace

I recently read Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop. The book was about a girl named Grace and her family who lived in Vermont and they worked in the mill. Grace meets a boy named Arthur and they become friends. They went to the same school on Sundays and were taught by Miss Lesley because during the week, they worked in the mill. A photographer comes to the mill, and he takes pictures of the kids because they are doing dangerous work and they shouldn't be working there. I thought the book was good, although it was hard to get into, and the vocabulary was sometimes challenging because of the use of foreign words. Knowing what they had to go through because they needed money was interesting. People who like history or fiction would probably enjoy this novel which is based on a true story.
Review by Madison Alexander

Warriors series by Erin Hunter

This series is an animal fantasy with cats. There are four clans:

Thunderclan is the clan of heroes. They are impressive hunters. They live by the lake. They quarrel with the River Clan and are afraid of the Shadowclan.

Shadowclan are evil. They are proud, fight well. They are night hunters and they live in the marsh.

Windclan lives on the moor. They are suspicious and quickly startled. They are fiercely protective. They are a peaceful clan.

Riverclan loves the water. They take prey from the lakes and rivers. Other clans fear and respect them.

Skyclan are the lost warriors, those who have already died.

THE WESTING GAME

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is a mystery story that reminds me of the game Clue. Sixteen residents of Sunset Towers are summoned to the Westing mansion for the reading of the will after the death of Mr. Sam Westing, a multi-millionaire business owner. The are all told that they are heirs to his fortune if they can solve the mystery of who killed Westing. I think this book might be a bit confusing because of the all the characters, but once you get that figured out, it is very enjoyable and hard to predict the outcome.

Reviewed by Sarah Berblinger

Marley & Me by John Grogan

The memoir of a young couple and their golden lab, Marley. Marley was a horribly behaved dog, but the family loved him and worked hard to make him part of their family. The story begins before they adopted Marley and continues until after his death. Many of the parts are funny, and other parts very sentimental. The book brings back memories for all dog owners of pets they have loved and lost.