Wednesday, October 14, 2009

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).

Friday, October 9, 2009

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.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

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.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

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

Thursday, September 10, 2009

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)