Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega
Girl From Mars by Tamara Back
Lamplighter (Monster Blood Tattoo Book Two) by D. M. Cornish
Madapple by Christina Meldrum
Roots and Wings by Many Ly
Saga by Conor Kostick
Suck It Up by Brian Meehl
New Teen Fiction - 6/2/08
Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Title: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (Copyright 2008)
This book takes place sometime after the year of 2032. Jenna has come out of the coma she was told that she was in for the past 18 months or so. She has no memories. She does find that she doesn't quite walk normally, and that she can read emotions and thoughts in through the eyes of the people around here. As the memories begin coming back, she puts together the events of her life, and that things now are not quite what they seem. There are mysterious computers in a locked closet in her mom's bedroom. She doesn't quite bleed like other people. She suddenly has memories from when she was an infant, and her grandmother doesn't like her anymore. What happened to her friends in the accident? And why is she suddenly a walking history textbook when history used to be her worst subject in school? A lot of things she is told don't add up.
This is vaguely a science-fiction novel. It is well-written, and brings up a lot of ethical questions when it comes to bio-engineering. It is highly recommended.
New Teen Fiction - May '08
Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson series #3) by Rick Riordan
Bon Voyage, Connie Pickles by Sabine Durrant
Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
Chosen (House of Night #3) by PC Cast and Kristin Cast
Death in the Air by Shave Peacock
Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Adoff
Edification of Sonya Crane (Kimani Tru series) by JD Guilford
Facts of Life: Stories by Gary Soto
Joys of Love by Madeleine L'Engle
Lily Dale: Believing by Wendy Corsi Staub
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobken
Pirate Wars (Wave Walkers book 3) by Kai Meyer
The Pretty One by Cheryl Klam
Red Necklace by Sally Gardner
Road of Bones by Anne Fine
Ruby Key (Moon & Sun series #1) by Holly Lisle
Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Family Affairs by Jen Calonita
Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli
Stella Stands Alone by A. LaFaye
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
Review: My Most Excellent Year
Title: My Most Excellent Year: a Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Take a paper that needs to be written for school entitled "My Most Excellent Year" (well, that's what TC changes the title to be, anyway), journals, letters emails, lots of IMs, and three friends, and you have a great story. This very humorously written story is first about TC who has a passion for baseball and doesn't think he is popular, when in fact he his popular. He also misses his mother a lot. She died when he was little. His "brother" is Augie. They've been best friends since they were little and the connection is so strong that they consider each other brothers for life. They have their own spaces in each others' houses. Then there is Alejandra. She is the 'new girl' at their high school their freshman year. TC immediately falls in love, and writes Ale a note telling her that he is considering a relationship with her. She thinks he's terrible with his tactics.
It moves on from here. . . you learn about each of their lives and their perspectives. TC meets a little boy who loves Mary Poppins. He takes this boy, Hucky, under his wing, even learning American Sign Language so they can communicate. Augie comes out about his sexual orientation, but it's not really big news to everyone else. They've realized it for a long time. Everyone is very accepting. Ale discovers that she does not want to go into politics or anything else like that as her father expects. She loves singing and dancing.
In the midst of this, there is email communication between the adults in this story, particularly between TC and Augie's fathers. Sometimes this is all quite humorous.
If you want to find out how this all turns out, read this book!
- Reviewed by Leisl, YA Librarian
New Teen Fiction - 4/24/08
The Market by J. M. Steele
Me, the Missing and the Dead by Jenny Valentine
Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Caveney
Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci
Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
Review: The Sky Inside
The Sky Inside by Clare B. Dunkle
This new book is great for those who may not be "into" science fiction, but are intrigued by books such as Lois Lowery's The Giver. The Sky Inside takes place in the future, maybe a couple of generations from now. The lucky people got a place in the doomed suburb. Everything from the outside is sent through "packets". The seasons are controlled in the dome, and when seasons change, all the residents put different window clings on their houses (flowers in spring, for instance). Adults in the dome vote on an issue everyday (such as the color of the President's new curtains) via their interactive tv. Meals come through a devine that works much like a gambling machine - you never know what you are going to get to eat. Pets, such as Martin's dog, are "bots" that can be reprogrammed. Martin is a teen who is not part of the genetically-engineered "Wonder Babies" generation like his sister. Babies are sent via packet, too, after parents go through a long application process. His sister Cassie is always asking questions, about everything, like all of the kids of her "model". Then when she is about 7 years old, a stranger ( and strangers never come to their dome) comes, and offers to take all of the Wonder Babies to a school outside the dome so they can learn all that their insatiable minds want to know. This is after he helps find Jimmy's (8 years old, the oldest Wonder Baby) real - not bot - rat. This part of the story offers a modern take on "The Pied Piper", in this way. Read the book to find out what happens next!
New Teen Fiction - 4/ 18/08
Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji
Defying the Diva by D. Anne Love
Foot Free and and Fancy Loose by Elizabeth Croft and Sarah Fain
nugrl90 (Sadie) by Cheryl Dellasega
The Pact of the Wolves by Nina Blazon
Players by Joyce Sweeney
Ranger's Apprentice: Book Four: The Battle For Skandra by John Flanagan
Rits by Mariken Jongman
Saturday Night Dirt by Will Weaver
Steel Trapp: The Challenge by Ridley Pearson
Thaw by Monica M. Roe