By: Rick Riordan
Annotation:
Young boy discovers that the father he never knew is some kick-butt Greek God and that now he is in grave danger.
Summary:
In the first awesome entry into the Percy Jackson series, we are introduced to an average everyday kid who just happens to to find himself running for his life against a real life Minotaur, and this is just in the first thirty pages.
Riordan creates a realistic world in which greek Mythology in just a part of a much larger society. As society has had a cultural shift in which the United States has become more of the center of culture, Mount Olympus has
also relocated to the top of the Empire State building.
Children will appreciate the real world voice that Riordan creates with Percy along with his sense of adventure. Armed only with his trust pen/sword Riptide and a few good friends he will have to save the world before he is punished by a vindictive thunder and lightning weilding god for crimes he hasn't committed.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Percy Jackson
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Speak
Speak
By Laurie Halse Anderson
224p
Puffin
ISBN-10: 0142407321
ISBN-13: 978-0142407325
Annotation:
A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school.
Summary:
Perhaps one of the most compelling and haunting young adult novels ever written. Due to mysterious event that occurred near the end of summer Melinda is finding it harder and harder to speak. At times she complains that her throat hurts, or that her lips are sore, until she practically becomes mute. She has become sullen and withdrawn, her parent are always working and all of her friends have abandoned her, her only ally is the art teacher. Through his makeshift assignments Melinda slowly begins to lower her shields but will it be quick enough or will her silence be her death.
This novel as a level of depth that has withstood the test of time, told with a style that was unlike any other Anderson has created a work that will astonish teenagers, and adults alike. It is only after Melinda reveals all that had occurred at the end of summer bash can we as readers truly appreciate the depth of her revelation. Quite simply this is a novel about the abuses a teenage can suffer through and more importantly the ones they can inflict on themselves.
Heavy Metal and You
Heavy Metal and You
By Christopher Krovatin
192p
Push
ISBN-10: 0439743990
ISBN-13: 978-0439743990
Annotation:
A punk rocker falls for a girl not interested in sex or drugs and must make an effort to change.
Summary:
What happens when a guy with massive amounts of heavy metal music knowledge and a history of getting drunk and partying with his friends happens to fall head over heels for the quintessential “good girl”? That is exactly the premise in Krovatin’s novel Heavy Metal and You. How far would you go to impress the girl you "love"? Would you be willing to change your clothes and you attitude?
Sam is a good student, who knows a lot of about classical literature and is incredibly smart, he also loves heavy metal music and will often show up for class wearing a spiked collar. When he falls for the “straight-edge” girl Melissa who doesn’t drink, do drugs, or tends to like the people who do, it is up to Sam to “straighten” up.
Written by Krovatin in his late teens, this book is teeming with teenage angst. This book captures the essence of a guy’s book, perfect for the reluctant reader or the rock music fan. The characters are well developed and have a realness that is uncommon in many young adult novels. Readers will easily recognize aspects of themselves or people they know within the pages.
This novel does include sex, drugs and strong language, so readers beware.
My Sister's Keeper
My Sister’s Keeper
By: Jodi Piccoult
423p
Washington Square Press
ISBN-13: 978-1439157268
Annotation:
Conceived to provide a bone marrow match for her leukemia-stricken sister, teenage Kate begins to question her moral obligations in light of countless medical procedures and decides to fight for the right to make decisions about her own body. .
Summary
For years Anna has had to endure countless surgeries, shots and blood transfusions, the problem is Anna is not sick. She was born with the sole purpose of providing her leukemia- ridden sister Kate with everything necessary to keep her alive. Anna has finally had enough, when her parents ask her to give a kidney to Kate, she refuses. The obstinate Anna then decides to seek the help of a lawyer to obtain rights to her body, even if that means a death sentence for Kate.
Picoult's My Sister's Keeper is a stark and emotional read. It forces readers to ask themselves what they would do for a loved one and more importantly, when is it too much. What does it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person, if you choose to do bad or selfish things does that make you a bad person? Young adult readers will delve into this situation perhaps with decisions already made and by the climax may have had a change of heart.
Soon to be a major motion picture, this novel will touch even the toughest of people.
Twilight
Twilight
By Stephenie Meyer
544p
Little, Brown Young Readers
ISBN-13: 978-0316015844
Annotation:
When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human.
Summary:
Perhaps one of the most popular young adult series in recent times, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight is single handedly bringing back the vampire novel. In this gripping romance seventeen year old Isabella Swan has just moved from sunny Phoenix, AZ to the rainy day capital of Forks, WA. Lets just say the weather is about the only thing she is fond of in Forks.
Bella quickly makes friends even though she is tragically uncoordinated and meets a mysterious student by the name of Edward Cullen. Her heartrate quickens and leaves her with one question , what is the secret about the Cullen Family. And so begins the Twilight Series.Meyers has made a franchise of the vampire story, Twilight has now become a cultural boom, with movies and action figures in the works. This story has found an audience in the young and old, all are in awe of the relationship of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.
Perhaps not one of the literary masterpieces, Twilight has found a comfortable home amound the fluff and will be entertaining readers for years to come.
Th1rteen R3asons Why
13 Reasons Why
By Jay Asher
320 p
Razorbill
ISBN-13: 978-1595141712
Annotation When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.
Summary
Truly one of the most gut wrenching and difficult stories to read in a long time. Clay Jenkins is a nice guy, a good guy. So why did he just recieve a box of cassette tapes from a dead classmate and more importantly why is he one of the reasons why she killed herself, and what can he do about it now?
These are but a few of the questions our protagonist must ask himself over the course of one night. As he travels around town, emersing himself in the life of Hannah Baker going places she went, listening to the experiences that caused her to take her own life is almost more that he can bare. Follow Clay as he tries to make ammends for whatever horrible deed he did and share in the torment as he tries to deal.
This novel is not for the squeamish. 13 Reasons Why shows the audience the importance of humanity is at the forefront of this novel. Hannah, Clay and all the other people on the tapes share a commonality and a bond that will never be broken. This novel illuminates the affect of small gestures and big embarrassments can have on a high school student. Sure to keep you up pondering all the subtleties for night.
Beige
Beige
By Cecil Castelucci
320 p
Candlewick
ISBN-10: 0763642320ISBN-13: 978-0763642327
Annotation:
Katy, a quiet French Canadian teenager, reluctantly leaves Montréal to spend time with her estranged father, an aging Los Angeles punk rock legend. Dad's an aging L.A. punk rocker known as the Rat. Daughter's a buttoned-up neat freak who'd rather be anywhere else. Can this summer be saved? Now that she's exiled from Canada to sunny Los Angeles, Katy figures she'll bury her nose in a book and ignore the fact that she's spending two weeks with her father -- punk name: the Rat -- a recovered addict and drummer for the famously infamous band Suck.
Summary:
"Katy won't complain....Katy won't complain" Even though Katy doesn't want to be there, even though she feels abandoned by her mom, even though the Rat's place is a mess and he's not like anything she'd call a father,
Is she really the nice girl everyone thinks is she really "Beige" or is there a rough and rockin' punk persona underneath all that nice?
Teens will love this over the top novel about the punk scene in Los Angeles. Castelucci writes a funny and emotional novel about a girl who has to relocate and in the process may learn more about her almost always absent father and more importantly the woman she may become.
Prom Anonymous
Prom Anonymous
By: Blake Nelson
272p
Puffin
ISBN-10: 0142407453
ISBN-13: 978-0142407455
Annotation:
Three childhood friend reunite to attend prom together and, in the process of finding dates and dress, gain some insight into themselves.
Summary:
Nelson provides a fluffy but humorous exploration into the lives of three friends, Chloe an art geek with a admiration for Sylvia Plath, Laura the popular girl with the athletic football star boyfriend that she sleeps with more out of routine than affection and Jace the tomboy with the crush on the newly transfer star athlete with a secret of his own. Having grown apart through out their high school careers into separate and very different cliques, the three friends decide to make prom an evening to remember.
Teens will love this light and fluffy novel about the trials of high school and the idea that sometime friends grow up, and grow apart but that if they look hard enough they will remember the reasons they became friends. Throughout the novel each character is forced to deal with individual issues, and through that they learn that their friendship is still strong and that they can always depend on each other. In the process emerges quite a pleasurable read. An enjoyable book especially designed for the chick-lit generation. Some sexuality is discussed though out the book as well as some references to drug usage. However, this is hardly an edgy novel, and will fit in with most YA readers.
Braless in Wonderland
Braless in Wonderland
By: Debbie Reed Fischer
224p
Dutton Juvenile
ISBN-10: 0525479546
ISBN-13: 978-0525479543
Annotation:
Allee Rosen is a teen girl who focuses on her more on education and less on her social life is thrust into a world completely new, when she is discovered by a model scout.
Summary
Allee Rosen is a high school senior with one thing on her mind, Yale University. That is until her father explains that a minor miscalculation in the college fund is about to destroy everything she has worked so hard for. While at the mall to support her sister (affectionately named “The Fluff”) own modeling aspirations, Allee is accidentally discovered by a modeling agency. Now she is given the choice, either go back to business as usual; finishing up high school and working at the local Wal-Mart, and accept one of the dreaded local colleges or spend the next six months in Miami trying to be the model she never thought she was. In an attempt to earn enough money to pay for the college of her dreams, She chooses the later.
Allee’s adventure in modeling is a fun journey filled with strange vocabulary and surreal surroundings that sound almost imaginary to the casual reader. Fans of America's Next Top Model will be enthralled, especially once she becomes the next “it” girl. As the story comes to a close Allee is then forced to choose, continue modeling and head to Japan for the next six months or go to Yale.
The story tends to drag once Allee begins her modeling career her common sense is lost once she enters the modeling world which makes for predictable resolutions. Teens will love the fantastical storyline and unforgettable situations, however, combined with one dimensional characters such as the “friend” who is really the conniving back-stabber, the mean girl with a heart of gold, makes this novel unable to completely fulfill its potential.
Still Teens will be strutting down the runway when the finish this book, looking for more on the subject.
Nation
S
Nation
By: Terry Pratchett
304p
Double Day
ISBN-10: 0385613717
ISBN-13: 978-0385613712
Annotation:
After a giant wave sweeps his island village away, Mau my attempt to survival with the rituals that have been instilled in him.
Summary:
Pratchett tells the story of Mau a boy on the verge of manhood, who must travel an island alone and return to his home village in order to achieve the much desired rank of becoming a man. It is during this trial that a tidal wave crashes on his island and the surrounding ones causing death and destruction. Forcing Mau to abandon his trial and return to his home, which has also been ravaged. It is here that he must attempt to rebuild his home and routine all the while battling the voices of his ancestral Gods, and the miscommunications of the other survivors, including the young “proper” woman Daphne. As the “tribe” becomes larger and larger, Mau is forced to take more of the responsibilities of that of a leader.
Pratchett allows readers the ability to examine how life may be different if they were ever forced to survive with only their wits and minimal training. This is a much more difficult adventure than anything ever on survivor.
Mau and his tribe must adapt to not only the major changes such as survival but the every day ones as well, such as language difficulties, and birth issues, in a far more humorous manner than one would expect.
Readers of Pratchett's other works may be disappointed that this novel is not part of his Discworld series. Even though, this novel shares many similar aspects and may not be as much of a shock to his die hard fans.
Black Box
Black Box
By: Julie Schumacher
176p
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0385735421
ISBN-13: 978-0385735421
Annotation:
When her sixteen-year-old sister is hospitalized for depression her parents want to keep it a secret, fourteen-year-old Elena tries to cope with her own anxiety and feelings of guilt that she is determined to conceal from outsiders.
Summary:
A realistic look at the effects of depression and the problems that can surround it.
Fourteen year-old Elena is responsible and reliable while her older sister Dora is the exact opposite. As Elena tries to deal with not only her sister’s illness but also the constant questioning from friends at school, and the fighting at home it becomes difficult for her to maintain her composure. As her parents refuse to acknowledge Dora’s condition, Elena feels more and more isolated and alone. Intent on not showing emotions, Elena finds solace in the friendship of her classmate Jimmy; a social outcast who has experiences with the practices at the local mental institution.
Throughout the novel Elena, deals with the constant emotional uncertainty of her sister while she is both in and out of the institution and her strange behavior once she returns. Elena become suspicious of her sister and begins to research her medicine, which is where we come to learn the meaning of the title (Blackbox is a warning label stating that these people should be under constant supervision) as well as her strange behavior at school.
This novel is no Disney story, it deals with difficult situations in a manner that is accessible to teens, the novel also includes websites and information about depression and suicide prevention, which may be helpful for people looking for more information.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Rats Saw God
Rats Saw God
By: Rob Thomas
202 pg.
Publisher: Simon Pulse
ISBN-10: 1416938974
ISBN-13: 978-1416938972
Annotation:
In hopes of graduating, Steve York agrees to complete a hundred-page writing assignment which helps him to sort out his relationship with his famous astronaut father and the events that changed him from promising student to troubled teen.
Summary:
As the story opens our protagonist Steve York is dealing with the effect of the pending divorce between his parents, his father affectionately known as the Astronaut and his mother. After trying to live up to the high expectations placed on him by his father such as Straight A’s and a part-time job, Steve cracks and escapes to a better reality with the help of drugs and a random group of friends everything comes crashing down. Now removed from all of that, he is living with his mother and her new husband an only one assignment separating him from his high school graduation, a 100 page paper on the subject of himself. Forced to reexamine how he has reached this point of his life, this novel allows the reader to reflect not only on the telling story of Steve, but perhaps on their own high school experience as well.
Steve’s coming of age is not nearly as smooth as we expect, through these hundred pages we are forced to examine his first love, first sexual experience and even the traumatic first heartbreak.
This novel exemplifies the difficulties of coming-of-age with a character as real as you or one of your friends.
Autobiography of My Dead Brother
Autobiography of My Dead Brother
By: Walter Dean Myers
p. 212
Publication HarperTempest
ISBN-10: 0060582936
ISBN-13: 978-0060582937
Annotation:
Jesse uses his sketchbook and comic strips to make sense of his home in Harlem and the loss of a close friendship. And so Jesse fills his sketchbook with drawings and portraits of his blood brother, Rise, and his comic strip, Spodi Roti and Wise, as he makes sense of the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and loss in a neighborhood where drive-bys, vicious gangs, and abusive cops are everyday realities.
Summary
In this novel that is perhaps too real, we are introduced to Jesse, and his blood brother Rise. Through the actions of both boys; the cautious and careful Jesse and the more risk taking and dangerous Rise, we are able to explore the quintessential Harlem lifestyle and all the stuff that comes with it. As we are introduced to the story, the setting is a funeral for both boys. We are led to examine and discover what actions led to this tragic event.
Jesse who has always looked up to Rise who was only two years older has now begun to notice distance between him and his blood brother who has begun hanging out with the local gang and selling drugs. As Jesse is pushed further and further away he begins to explore sides of himself that have long been dormant. Perhaps the most interesting side is his artistic ability. Through his art he is able to express himself and create a world in which he and Rise are still the friends he longs for.
This gritty novel is real and rough. Teens will love the tempo and feel of the novel as well as the underlying story which is more about expression than an actual plot. Perfect for those reluctant readers who prefer a more realistic novel.
Suite Scarlett
By: Maureen Johnson
ISBN-10: 0545096324
ISBN-13: 978-0545096324
The Hopewell Hotel has been in the family for many generations. However, after many years of declining business the hotel is on the verge of ruin and its up to Scarlett Martin and her siblings to save it from disaster.
Spencer and Scarlett are as close as any two siblings can get, and as Spencer dreams of being an actor, Scarlett knows that he only has a short period before his family forces him to accept the culinary scholarship. While Spencer knows that Scarlett dreams of having adventures of her own, but has resigned herself to act as the personal assistant for the aging actress whom has taken residence in the Empire Suite of the hotel, if that means through her money the hotel can stay in operation.
Through the antics of the Martin clan, this may be the summer no one ever forgets. Who knows it may even lead to a little adventure for Scarlett.
This novel will be sure to delight even the most resistant readers and with Scarlett's humor and wit readers will enjoy their stay at the Hopewell Hotel.
Memoirs of A Teenage Amnesiac
Gabrielle Zevin
271p.
Publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- ISBN-10: 0312561288
- ISBN-13: 978-0312561284
This touching sophomore novel, by the author of Elsewhere (2005), touches on the sensitivities and humors of everyday life.
Naomi accidentally hits her head and loses all her memories from the present to sixth grade. Imagine all the traumatic events of the last five years, having to be rediscovered in a few days. Things like rediscovering your parents are divorced or birth control devices in your bedside table take on a complete new level of emotionality. Naomi allows us to experience these events at a comfortable and safe distance as a reader. Through her journey she is able to learn more about herself and the people in her life as well as find love. Until her memories come flooding back.
What does this mean for all the meaningful friendships she has made during her time as an amnesiac, and more importantly what does it mean for her and her fellow amnesiac boyfriend?
This novel is a humorous and guilty pleasure that still has the ability to affect the reader. This novel is perfect for those readers looking for something with substance yet still a fun read.
Hero
Hero
By Perry Moore
432p
Publisher Hyperion
ISBN-10: 1423101960
ISBN-13: 978-1423101963
Annotation: Intermingling superhero fantasy with relationship and sexuality issues, HERO follows the tumultuous life of Tom Creed, a teen with a lot to hide. Although he’s a star basketball player, Tom is alone with burgeoning superpowers that he feels he must keep from his father, a fallen, embittered superhero.
Summary:
Tom Creed is a normal everyday teen, minus the budding superhero abilities and his closeted sexuality. Winner of the LAMBDA literary award in the category of Children/Young Adult. This novel is the perfect blend of the quintessential superhero and the coming-of-age novel.
Trying to not disappoint his father Tom attempts keeps both of his true identities a secret, but once the League, things begin to change. Tom is now surrounded by people that share his ability and as he begins to feel accepted by the League, he begins to explore other aspects of his lifestyle that he has been unable to accept.
This novel may not be for everyone, but has a special place in any collection. This novel is the perfect blend of genres and encourages the ideas of self acceptance and while it may not be perfect for all teen readers, this novel will find a special place in many LGBT teens.
Someday this Pain Will be Useful to You
Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You
By: Peter Cameron
p.229
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ISBN-10: 0312428162
ISBN-13: 978-0312428167
Annotation :
Eighteen-year-old James living in New York City with his older sister and divorced mother struggles to find a direction for his life.
Summary :
James has just graduated from high school and is unsure of his life's direction. He is working aimlessly at a job given to him by his Manhattan socialite mother at an art gallery. It is here where he meets the much older man John, who happens to be his mother's assistant. But when James is accused of sexual harassment by John, he has a feeling that his summer will be unlike any other.
Not your ordinary young adult novel, this book will sure to strike a humorous chord with its audience. This coming-of-age has its fill moments of humor, sadness and tender affection. For all of you who have ever wondered what life would be like if you had done something differently, than this is the novel for you.
Deftly written, this novel will appeal to both adults and young adults alike.
Hunger Games
Hunger Games
By: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN-10: 0439023483
ISBN-13: 978-0439023481
First in a new and exciting series. Hunger Games takes us to a future, in which teens are forced to fight for survival for the enjoyment and amusement of the society. Filled with well developed characters, Collins creates a world easy to fall into.
Katniss is a skilled hunter and much more able to survive the pitfall of the Hunger Game than her sister. She is placed with Peeta, the bakers son as her teammate, a boy who had a crush on her since the age of 5. t will take a lot for her to learn how to rely on other people, but this challenge will teach her more about herself than even she realizes.
Collins novel will keep teens up into the late hours trying to discover what happens next. Not far from the reality show we are already used to, the situations are similar enough to allow the individual to ponder the possiblity of this becoming our future. Teens will appreciate all the action and adventure Katniss and Peeta are faced with. Collins does not shy away from the horror and gore so this is great for teens who prefer their fiction a little on the darker side.
Teens will be chomping at the bit, for the next installment of this sure to be smash hit series.
Its Complicated: The American Teenager
Its Complicated: The American Teenager
By: Robin Bowman and
p.160
Umbrage Edition
ISBN-10: 1884167691
ISBN-13: 978-1884167690
Annotation: A photographic chronicle of five years in the lives of teenagers.
Summary
Imagine you having every moment of your life captured on film, and no you aren't on an MTV show. Photographer Robin Bowman spent five years of her life following American teens. Through every part of their lives, from romance and breakups, to finals and proms, she was there.
This nonfiction work that charts the changes of the largest generation in American is perfect for adult and teens because as well all know, everyone was a teenager at one point in their life.
Bowman has compiled a collection of 414 portraits that detail every aspect of teen culture.
This portraits will remind you of all the hard things that you have overcame during your teenage years as well as the good times you had almost forgot.
Summoning
The Summoning
By Kelley Armstrong
416p
Harper Collins
ISBN-10: 0061450545
ISBN-13: 978-0061450549
Annotation:
After fifteen-year-old Chloe starts seeing ghosts and is sent to Lyle House, a mysterious group home for mentally disturbed teenagers, she soon discovers that neither Lyle House nor its inhabitants are exactly what they seem, and that she and her new friends are in danger.
Summary:
When Chloe was a child she had the ability to see ghosts. These ghosts took great pleasure in trying to scare her, and by age six she was terrified of the basement. Now she is older, she has moved far away from the creepy house, and has long forgotten about the incidents in the basement. That is of course until now. As she is walking from one class to another she notices a man who is covered with burn marks and what is worse is he can see her too.
Chloe is captured by the school's administration and sent to a group home for children with mental disorders. She quietly accepts her fate until she realizes that many of her housemates have abilities too.
This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat from cover to cover. Readers will constantly be guessing the next outcome and will be shock by the result. As the readers become more captivated by the story, it only pull you in deeper. Definitely a book that will be hard for some to put down, and one to be read by those who do not scare easily.
